Mistaken Body
by IdleWit
Summary: Angel swaps bodies with popular boy. Buffy has to teach him the ropes of highschool while they try and figure what's going on.
1. Swap

CHAPTER ONE

"_Weird things often happen through weird people"_

Buffy walked through the graveyard slowly, a stake in hand.

"In the 1960's ...somethin important happened," she said weakly. _'I'm never going to learn this stuff,'_ Buffy thought.

"I can see it now," she said aloud, caught within her misery, "Buffy Summers the chosen one, also known as girl who failed her history test so bad she was automatically kicked out of school. Fear her, run from her and if you want to defeat her give her a history test."

"You know, just some friendly advice, don't yell out ways to defeat yourself when your walking around your enemies favorite haunt."

Buffy shrieked swiveling around to be met with a snarling vampires face. Angel's vampire face to be precise.

Buffy winced, "I am so sorry," she said frantically.

She pulled on the stake which she had accidentally lodged in Angel's chest. Lucky she hadn't hit the mark. Angel growled and grabbed her wrist before she could tug on it again.

"Stop that," said Angel.

"That thing has to come out," said Buffy pointedly.

"Yeah, well, I'd rather do it." Angel said.

"You know it's going to hurt just as much as much when I do it." Buffy said grumpily.

"Yeah... well.." said Angel sounding a little too doubtful for Buffy's comfort.

Angel pulled at the stake slowly and finally slipped it out.

"Ow," Angel said dropping the stake to the ground. "I still think there are splinters in there."

Buffy glowered at him and walked away.

"Hey" called Angel jogging (while wincing) after her. "Why are you in such a hurry."

"I'm patrolling," said Buffy, "I wouldn't think you'd want to come with that life threatening wound you received from me," she said dramatically.

"It could have been life threatening," said Angel grumpily. "Lucky for me you were off your mark today. Hey, I think I'm noticing a pattern here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Buffy stopping and glaring at him.

"Nothing," said Angel quickly, "I'm just smarting. I'm sorry Buffy I didn't mean what I said."

"Typical," said Buffy. "Whenever you start something you never finish it you just walk away all mysterious, or you become broody or you say sorry. You can never just talk about things"

"That's not true," said Angel defensively.

"Oh yeah," said Buffy " How about the time you were jealous of Xander and me, you did the disappearing act, or when I found out you were a vampire and you even died to stop from talking and sorting through problems, like normal teenage couples do.

"In case you haven't noticed Buffy, were not normal teenagers," said Angel.

"Yeah well your not," Buffy grumbled. "You never will be."

Angel felt bitter as Buffy threw that remark at him. He could never, ever be what he saw she wanted in her eye's. Even though they loved each other and always would Angel knew that sometime they were going to have to realise that they were from different worlds. Sometimes it almost made Angel wish he could be, even just for one day, one of the many teenage guy's who attended Sunnydale High. Just like a person.

"Hey I'm not the only one who has a avoidance act going on." Angel muttered. Unfortunately Buffy's sharp ears caught his remark.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped.

"Ever since I've returned from hell you've staked me, my heads nearly been pulled off by Balthazar and lets not forget being run through with a sword."

"What are you saying?" Buffy asked quietly.

"I'm not saying anything," said Angel.

"No I think you are Angel." said Buffy in the same quiet tone. "Every time your around me you get hurt."

Angel's temper suddenly flared violently. _'This isn't normal_,' he thought, '_what were saying isn't normal either.'_ But he couldn't seem to help himself. His face turned into the demons.

"Nothing I say is ever going to make you happy is it," he growled, pacing up and down in front of Buffy, waving his arms to emphasise his feelings, "I don't know why the hell I try anymore. I'm always going to be seen as the bad guy, so why don't I just act like it. Will that make you happy?" He stopped in front of Buffy his face close to hers.

Buffy's eyes seemed to flash dangerously, "I've killed you once and I'm really inclined to do it again," she snarled.

Angel laughed, "There's the cow I knew would be in there." he said.

Before Angel knew what was happening Buffy's fist connected with his face. Angel slammed into the ground hard.

All the anger seemed to disappear and Angel saw stars appear in and out of his vision. He was about to get up when somebody slammed into him, pushing him against the ground.

Buffy stood, shocked as she saw Angel on the ground. She felt a little disoriented after all that anger seemed to just rush out of her. A guy, seeming to appear from nowhere, slammed on top of Angel holding him down. Buffy snapped out of her half comatose state and quickly ran up to the bundle of dead and undead flesh on the ground. A flash of light stopped her from getting any further. She covered her eyes and stepped back, unable to see anything.

When the light disappeared Buffy's opened her eyes. Spots were in her vision and all she could make out were a few shadows. She could make out the guy who had attacked Angel luckily, and she managed to grab him by the collar, slamming him against a nearby crypt wall. She blinked several times, clearing her vision, and then looked at her prize. The guy was struggling like anything _'and he's pretty tough'_ Buffy had to admit.

"Angel, she called behind her, not daring to take her eyes off the guy, "Are you okay?"

The guy stopped struggling as he heard these words.

"Yeah that's right mister," said Buffy satisfied, "My boyfriend was the one you just slammed into. You better be really scared because I'm really upset."

"Buffy," said the guy, "Your not under that weird spell anymore?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Buffy, annoyed. Buffy looked, really looked at the guy. He was about 5 feet and a few inches and had the build of a fit guy. He wore the latest clothes right down to his black sneakers. His hair was the typical Californian brown streaked with blond and his major tan suggested a lot of time spent on the beach.

"Stan," she gasped. Buffy could never mistake him. Stan was Sunnydale's most popular guy, girls fell over him, guy's envied him and Buffy checked him out in history class.

"Who's Stan," he asked. Buffy frowned. That tone of voice sounded exactly like Angel when he was jealous and trying to pretend to be just curious.

Buffy looked into Stan's eyes expecting to see Stan's blue ones with a slight speck of green. Instead she saw Angel's deep, dark, brown and totally not blue ones.

"Angel,"she whispered weakly.

"Buffy are you feeling all right," he asked and a frown on Stan's face appeared.


	2. Blushing

_**Thanks to everyone who reviewed I really appreciate it. Please keep the reviews coming. I hope you like this chapter, I know the stories moving along slowly but I'll try to update it as much as I can. I'm really writing as I go along and I'm not quite sure what's going to happen so I apologize for the bad storylines. Thanks and keep on reviewing.**_

_**Sairra **_

CHAPTER TWO

"_Who? What? Were? When? Why? How? Questions which often lead to complications and an excessive amount of blushing."_

Giles looked up as Buffy swung the library doors open and walked through. A boy Giles had only glanced around the school but never noticed, followed right behind her.

"Oh, hello Buffy," said Giles, "Who's your new friend."

"Giles," said Buffy a scandalised look on her face, "We don't use that line on me now. I'm a big girl, that's so like preschool. "Who's your new friend", really, like anyone could make a friend in one night. You'd call the guy an aquantice and why do you expect him to be my friend. He could be my stalker for all you know... and I'm babbling aren't I?"

Giles nodded and gave Buffy a stern look. Whenever Buffy babbled it was a sure sign something had gone wrong. Mostly it was a result of something she had done.

"What happened this time?" he asked wearily.

"Just look at who followed me in," said Buffy, "Look closely at his eyes."

The guy stood, his face crimson red with embarrassment. Giles saw his eyes, they did not belong to a young teenager with no thoughts to life. He had never really examined Angel's eyes, but he'd bet his whole library that those were his.

"Angel?" he asked, shock completely overwhelming him.

"Yap," said Buffy miserably, "The one and only. Except now he comes with all new blushing abilities, breathing and eating needs, hell we did a whole makeover."

"How did this happen?" Giles asked, completely fascinated by the vampires new look.

"Well this guy jumped out of the bushes and onto Angel, then their was a flash of light and the next moment Angels in Stan's body and Angel's bodies gone." explained Buffy.

She knew that wasn't all the events that leaded up to that moment but she really didn't want to talk about the rush of anger they both had felt and the argument. That would just lead to questions of what they were arguing about.

"Is that what it looked like?" asked Angel curiously.

Giles jumped when he spoke. Stan's voice was completely different to Angel's own.

"H..how did it feel?" asked Giles. He could feel himself blushing at how easily he had jumped. He took off his glasses and cleaned them.

"It felt like my soul," shrugged 'Angel'. "Painful."

"Do you know this...um...Stan?" Giles asked.

Buffy snorted and Angel gave him a unbelievable look.

"How would I know a seventeen year old boy?" asked Angel incredolous.

"Yes...well...we must check all possibilities." said Giles feeling slightly foolish, "In order to turn you back we have to first find out what spell swapped you two in the first place and who did it."

"I'm putting my money on this Stan guy," said 'Angel' glowering. Buffy snorted again.

"What's so funny?"asked 'Angel'.

"Come on Angel," said Buffy practically, "This guy is popular, he's a good student, not to mention good looking, his parents are filthy rich, he's definetly going to be someone famous, what would he want with your life?Not to say your life is bad or anything," she added blushing at 'Angel's look.

Before 'Angel', who seemed to be much more argumentive and talkative today, could open his mouth, Giles cut in.

"You two better get home," he said. "I'll check into this."

'Where's Angel supposed to go?" asked Buffy, hopefully, Giles noticed.

"He'll have to go to Stan's house for now and do a little acting." said Giles firmly, "We wouldn't want to alarm Stan's parents. Buffy, you can get the address from the school files."

"And Stan's parents won't notice their child's eyes have changed colour," said Buffy pointedly.

"Yes, well I do believe there's such thing as coloured contacts," said Giles, arching his eyebrows.

"You know how expensive those things are?" said Buffy, her mouth hanging open.

"You don't need to buy them," said Giles, rubbing his head, "Angel simply tells Stan's parents that he wanted a change. If Cordy's anything to go on this expense won't be anything new to his parents."

"Oh," said Buffy.

"Well are we going to go," asked Angel, "I'm feeling really energetic, sort of like when you've just taken drugs and you start a fight with the wall."

Giles and Buffy both looked at him. There was a moment of awkward silence. Buffy opened her mouth several times and then closed it.

"It was the sixties," shrugged 'Angel' his face beetroot red.

"I don't want to know," said Buffy.

Quite frankly Giles didn't want to either. He was guessing it would take an awful lot of drugs to result in a vampire fighting with a wall.

"You two should get going I think," said Giles, breaking the silence.

"Fine then," said Buffy, "To Snyder's office and then to Stan's house."

The two of them walked out of the library, the doors swinging behind them.

"You know," carried Angel's voice faintly, dead serious, "I would never have guessed that Giles new what contacts were."

Buffy's laughter traveled to Giles very red ears.

_**Please keep the reviews coming so I know to write more. Next Angel meets Stan's parents and has seriously awkward moments and we see what's happening with Stan.**_


	3. Lecture

_**Thanks to everyone who reviewed. This is kinda hard to write. I couldn't decide whether to make the parents nice or mean. I also couldn't decide whether to make Angel like them or hate them. So I just stuck with plain old normal embarrassment. I hope you enjoy. **_

CHAPTER THREE

"_One day a kid is going to die from listening to a lecture. Scientists will open up their heads and see nothing because all there brain cells were destroyed by boredom."_

Angel stood next to Buffy on the porch of a beautiful mansion. He breathed deeply, a thing he had been enjoying immensely and squeezed her hand.

"Here goes," he said, "The hardest thing I've ever had to face, meeting my parents."

His heart was thumping inside his chest, he enjoyed it's beat though he could live without the butterflies in his stomach.

"Your nervous, aren't you," said Buffy smiling. "I mean really nervous."

Angel nodded, he smiled back at her.

"You better come in with me missy, or are relationship is over," he said teasingly. He found himself becoming more easygoing, relaxed. '_Maybe it's because I'm human'_, he wondered.

"Actually some would say it's beginning," said Buffy thoughtfully.

Angels grin immedietly disappeared.

"Buffy you know I can't stay like this forever," said Angel, worried.

"I know," Buffy sighed, "It's just nice to dream."

Buffy leaned over and pressed the doorbell. Jingle bells played merrily.

"A bit late aren't they," said Buffy, scrunching up her nose.

"No one's answering," said Angel hopefully, "Maybe there away on holiday."

"You can come to my house,"said Buffy happily, starting to pull him away.

Angel was reluctant, torn between the right thing to do and the thing he wanted to do. His stronger side won. '_I'm not doing anything wrong,' _he thought, '_When am I ever going to be able to do what I want again.'_ He turned his back on the door just as it opened.

"Houstan Stanley Edward Francis March, came a stern voice from within, "What an earth are you doing?"

Angel turned around to be faced with plump annoyed looking, mother and a friendly, sheepish, dishelved father.

"Ah...We thought you was on holidays" he said stupidly.

He could feel his face turning red as he heard Buffy giggling behind him. _'I can't believe I just said that,_' he thought, numbly, _'I didn't just say that.'_

Angel sat at the table, facing two very unhappy parents. He felt out of place in the scene, _'Of course I am_,' he thought, '_I'm what doesn't belong. Two adults who are younger then me are giving me a lecture. How embarrassing'_

"We were so worried young man," the mother said for the hundredth time. "It's one' o'clock in the morning."

Angel had to admit he had never received a lecture before. Mostly from his Pa he had received the strap. He definetly preffered the strap, at least the run from it was energising and didn't bore him to death. He could have sworn he had lost a few brain cells during the experience.

_'Lucky Buffy,_' he thought, disgruntled. Sensing a lecture she had quickly said goodbye to the Marche's outside the door and ran. Angel, none the wiser, had walked in smiling and said "Hi". Apparently "Hi" wasn't what you said to two parents who had been worried sick over their child.

"Gladise maybe we should ease up a bit hey," said the Dad. 'Gladise' gave him a dirty look. "It's just that the kid has school tomorrow and it is one' o' clock as you said."

To Angel's relief she nodded. Angel got up and so did they. He wasn't quite sure what to do. He started to walk towards the kitchen doorway.

'Aren't you going to give your parents a hug?" asked Gladise, a little hurt in her voice.

Angel was surprised and embarrassed. He had never hugged his stepmother and he could hardly remember his real mother, let alone hugging her, it was laughable to think of him hugging his father, as well as torture for both sides.

"Of course I am," he found himself saying, to his horror.

He turned around and did the most awkward hug in the history of time with Gladise. He tried putting his arms around her without actually coming in contact with her, it didn't work He felt the blood rushing to his face again and in the end Gladise just gave him a kiss.

"Don't think I've forgotten about that girl Buffy," she said sternly, "We'll be having a talk about her tomorrow."

Angel felt relieved when he moved on to Mr March, who just gave him a pat on the back.

"Don't worry," he whispered, "I'll make her forget about that talk. I think that Buffy girl looked pretty decent son. You may have finally made the right choice."

Angel smiled, trying to hide his surprise, Stan's parents weren't as snotty as he thought they would be.

"Thanks," he whispered back. "Night," he said aloud and left the kitchen.

It wasn't until he looked at the humungous entrance room and giant staircase leading up to three floors, did he realise he was in trouble.

"Uh oh," he murmured. He didn't know where his room was. '_It's going to be a long night,'_ he thought as he climbed the stairs, they seemed to be so many and he was so tired, _' a very long night._'

_**Okay not so embarrassing but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve, so don't despair.(You probably don't believe me but I have some pretty good idea's. At least I think so) It was really just introducing Stan's parents. Angel will go to highschool and have serious problems and I'll try and show you what's going on with Stan. I hope you liked it and please review so I know to write more. **_


	4. Goodmorning

**Please keep on reviewing so I know to write more. Hope you enjoy. : ).**

**Note: Any thoughts of names are totally not mine and are supposed to be what I think Angel would think. U probably don't understand that but any who what are you doing reading this when you could be reading the story. Go on start reading!**

"**GOOD MORNING"**

CHAPTER FOUR

"_Waking up in the morning is a bad experience. Having to get out of bed is worse. Having to go to school is torture, plain and simple."_

"Stan," a voice called to Angel.

_'What a weird name,'_ he thought disoriented, '_What strange person would call their poor son Stan, it reminds me of Spam. Gabriel, now that's a name.' _He went back to sleep with thoughts of Buffy telling him that Gabriel was the best name in the world and she had changed her name to it. She started to shake him calling that weird name again.

"Honey," she finally said tiredly, "You try and wake him, I'm going to be late for my meeting."

That made Buffy turn into a girl Honey, who Angel had known back when he was Liam.

"Oh Liam," she sighed lovingly, "You say such beautiful things to me. Makes a girl feel real wanted like," she battered her eyelashes and Angel smiled charmingly.

Mrs March walked up to her son tiredly, "How typical of Bob," she muttered, "Leaving me to wake up the angry teen. STAN," she bellowed in his ear.

"You can't prove I went to the whore house Pa," Stan mumbled. His words were slurred as if he was drunk, "and Honey's was only a little bitta' fun, not serious. I don't care what you think and you know another thing,...yeah you wanna know another thing...you have funny looking hair...yeah you."

Mrs March stared at him, shocked and a little amused, "Whore house," she repeated.

Stan started to thrash around in his sheets, "Bastard," he yelled, sitting up and looking blearily around him.

"Stan since when have you been to a whore house?" asked Mrs March teasingly.

Stan turned red a thing he had been doing very often.

"Never been to one, saw it in an old western. Having some weird dreams." he mumbled quietly, Mrs March only managed to catch it.

"Get up lazy bones," she said, "Time for school."

"What," said Stan, looking at her blankly.

"School," she said laughing at his antics, "You know the place you go to learn."

He still looked blankly at her and then he frowned grimly, "School," he said, grim recognition in his voice.

"Stan honey," she said, worried, "Are you all right?"

Stan looked at her, slightly bewildered and then gave a small, obviously forced, smile.

"Course I'm okay Gla...mother," he said slowly, almost unsure of himself.

"Since when have you become all proper..Mother. Whatever happened to good old Mum," she said laughing.

Stan just looked at her, that bewildered look on his face again.

"Are you sure your okay," she asked again.

"Of course," he said, smiling encouragingly, "I'm just your average teenager, you know being... a ... teenager."

"Well you better hurry and get dressed," she said.

"Yes," he said trying to smile again, "School's just so... fun?" He gave her an inquiring look as if to see if that was right.

"Stop joking around and have that shower," said Mrs March sternly, "It's almost 7:30, your going to be late and you don't want to pass up the chance of shocking everyone with your new coloured contacts."

"Contacts?" he asked, frowning.

"Yes silly," she said, "The ones you forgot to take off last night. When you first told us you were deciding to change your eye colour last week I must admit I was dreading it. I was expecting you to come home any day, with yellow, red or some other crazy colour. I have to admit it was a relief when I saw you with brown eyes yesterday. One less thing to worry about, I forgot all about them though, I was just so relieved you were safe."   
"Thanks," he said awkwardly, "I better go have that shower now."

"Yes," she said, "And I better leave for work, see you honey." she went to give him a peck on the cheek but he leaned away from her, a look of guilt on his face.

"Goodbye," he said, looking at the carpet.

She shrugged, trying to pretend she wasn't hurt. _'I suppose teenagers will be like that,'_ she thought, she quickly grabbed her briefcase and walked out the door.

Angel got up from the sheets he had slept on in the main lounge. Last night had found him almost falling asleep while he opened the various doors in the house. Eventually he had just given up and grabbed some sheets from a linen cupboard in one of the spare rooms. He hadn't felt comfortable inviting himself to strangers cupboard, let alone sleeping in their beds so he had found himself downstairs and in here. The couch was too uncomfortable to sleep on so Angel had chosen the floor.

_This guys parents aren't extremely observant_,' he thought, '_at least that's something.'_

He thought about just going back to sleep but then he thought about the lecture Stan's parents would give when they came home. That got him up and hurrying towards the entrance room.

He quickly bounded up the stairs taking two at a time. He remembered seeing a bathroom somewhere on the second floor.

After a well deserved shower, Angel, to his disgust, put his old clothes back on. It wasn't like he had much choice as he didn't know where Stan's room was. Luckily he did find gel in the bathroom cupboard, but to his dismay no mirror. It wasn't like he needed one, but it would have been nice to see a reflection, even if it wasn't his.

He went down stairs and straight to the kitchen, his tummy was growling, something that hadn't happened in a long time.

"I can't wait to eat," he said happily to himself as he entered the kitchen. He smiled joyfully, trying to imagine the heaven that was to come.

"No time mister," came Mr March's voice behind him.

Angel jumped for the first time in... well a very long time.

"What the hell," he cursed, turning around.

"Watch your language," said Mr March, frowning disapprovingly. "I know I gave you a shock but that's no reason to curse. I had to come back, because I forgot some papers so I'd thought I'd wait for you. Do you know how long you spend in the shower? I think I grew a few grey hairs while you were in there."

"I don't take that long," muttered Angel sullenly.

"Grab your backpack," Mr March said, laughing, "Hurry up."

Angel quickly scooped up the backpack lying on the kitchen floor and followed Mr March out of the kitchen and then through the door.

When the sunlight hit Angel he quickly put his hands up to protect himself and tried to run back inside. Instead he ran into Mr March who grabbed him.

"What are you doing?" Mr March asked, confused.

"Sun, fire," cried Angel, trying to get past him.

"Fire, where?" asked Mr March puzzled.

"I'm not on fire," said Angel, awe in his voice as he straightened up and looked at himself.

Mr March looked at him blankly.

"Yeah," said Angel, trying to regain his dignity, "I knew that."

Mr March just shook his head and muttered something that sounded a lot like 'teenagers.'

A fifteen minute drive later found Angel getting out of the car in front of Sunnydale High.

"Seeya," called Mr March after him.

"Bye," said Angel.

"Oh son," said Mr March calling him back, "Your hair..."

"Yeah?" asked Angel confused.

"Nothing, I just didn't know you were so good. Maybe you can do mine like that someday," he laughed and drove off leaving Angel looking after him puzzled.

"This is how I always do my hair." he muttered sulkily. "Buffy likes it."

He finally just shrugged and turned towards the highschool. He sucked in a deep breath, _'Here goes,_' he thought, '_Back to hell'_.


	5. Hell aka Sunnydale High

**HELL A.K.A SUNNYDALE HIGH**

CHAPTER FIVE

"_Hell: Believed to be a place of torment where evil people enter after passing. By kids it's meaning is one simple word, 'Highschool'"_

Angel walked through the double doors, he didn't feel as hungry as he was before. People, especially girls, called out hi, hey and other forms of greeting from every direction. A couple of guys even waved to him frantically, trying to get him to come over. He just tried to pretend he hadn't seen them and quickly walked away. '_Where is the library,'_ he thought to himself, '_I've been in this school hundreds of times and I don't know how to get to the library.' _ He wandered the halls, lost, '_I'm never going to find Buffy in this,_' he thought miserably.

Buffy was on the prowl. Wearing a denim miny skirt and a strap top with her hair done in up no one could mistake it. Her lips were red, her eyelashes were thick and curly. All she needed to complete the look was the guy to attach to her arm.

"Where is he?" she asked Willow, bobbing up on the tip's of her toes to see above the heads of the many people in the halls. "Do you see him? You don't think he's forgot do you?"

Willow gave Buffy a patient look. When it came to Angel Buffy didn't think things through very well. Of course Willow was like that with Oz.

"Buffy," she said, "I doubt Stan's parents are going to forget about school even if Angel does."

"Oh yeah," said Buffy, "What would I do without you Will." She smiled at her.

"You wouldn't said Willow plainly.

"He's probably in the library anyway," she said, disappointment in her face, "I doubt he's going to be talking with any of the Cordettes for my convenience."

"And remind me how that's convenient?" asked Willow slightly confused.

"Think about it Will," said Buffy, "My boyfriend is in the body of Stan the most popular boy in school. What do you think everyones going to think when I go up to him and give him a big sloppy kiss. Soon Buffy Summers won't be so uncool after all. "

"Isn't that against the rules or something?" asked Willow scrunching up her nose.

"Hey I can't help it if my boyfriend accidentally swapped bodies with another. Why must our relationship, love and expressions of feelings be unable to grow because of it." responded Buffy, clasping her hands over her heart in a dramatic gesture and batting her eyelashes.

"You've put a lot of thought to this haven't you," said Willow accusingly.

"Stayed up all night," said Buffy grinning wickedly.

"As your friend I must say this," said Willow, "You are an evil, evil person."

"Thankyou," said Buffy, satisfied.

"Oz," called a voice behind him. "Wait."

Oz turned around to be greeted by, "Stan?" he said, he blinked.

Oz wasn't fazed by much but there were a few occasional things that made him blink. This was one of them. Stan, a boy who, Oz had heard of but never spoken to, was looking at him like he was his saviour. The poor guy looked as if he was actually going to start crying from relief.

"Can I help you?" asked Oz.

"Of course you can help me," he said. "Which way is the library."

Oz blinked again, Stan wanted to go to the library and he was asking him were it was.

"Um... I think the libraries closed on Friday's, all that reshelving to do." said Oz deadpan. He doubted Giles and Buffy would appreciate it if Stan's was walking around while they were trying to talk about demons.

"No it isn't,"said Stan, "Buffy goes to the library every morning, she complains about how Giles won't let her have a break even on the morning of a school day, all the time to me."

Oz blinked again. _'Wow three times in one day gotta be a record,'_ he thought, impressed.

"Oh," said Stan comprehension dawning on his face, "I understand, you think I'm Stan. No you got it wrong. It's a long story but look at my eyes Oz, it's me Angel."

"Ever since I've met Buffy, if a weird guy asks me to look at his eyes, I've learned to say no." said Oz.

Stan's face looked defeated, "Ask me a question then, any question." he said hopefully.

"Are you evil?"asked Oz. It seemed a simple enough question to him.

"No," said Stan, "I mean I have a soul, but I'm a vampire and if I lose my soul I am evil, but I've got my soul now. I don't know," he said, there was some desperation in his eyes and a big broody look.

"Your confused," said Oz, "Definetly Angel, though."

"Thankyou Oz," said Stan smiling.

"Betta go to the library before warning bell," said Oz shrugging off the thanks.

"What bell?" asked Angel confused.

"Your not going to survive the first period without some help," said Oz sympathetically. He led Angel through the crowds and to the sanctuary of the library.

**Hope you liked. Next in the story Angel's going to have gym class and find out that he's stuck relying on Xander, to both their disgust.**


	6. Similarities you may have missed

**SIMILARITIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED**

CHAPTER SIX

"_Have your parents ever told you that the reason you hate that person in your class so much is that their exactly like you. But you know that's a complete lie, how could they be like you? If they were you wouldn't hate them so much." _

Angel walked into the library.

"Buffy please try and concentrate," he heard Giles voice, cajoling Buffy.

"Giles how can I," Buffy's voice rang out, "Angel is in the most popular guy in school's body."

"And this is important because...?" Giles asked, Angel heard a slight tint of confusion in his voice.

"Giles how can you even ask that?" said Buffy scandalised.

Oz cleared his throat and Buffy and Giles looked up. Giles was heavily padded, holding a fencing sword, Buffy was leaning against a desk, her sword limp in her hands. Willow sat at the computer behind the counter, her face scrunched up in concentration.

"Oz, Angel," said Buffy, Angel thought she looked slightly guilty, but that was just his opinion.

"How did you know about Angel?" Giles asked Oz, "Of course it must have been your keen senses, caused by the werewolf within you?"

"Actually," said Oz quietly, "His confusion of whether he's good or evil kinda' gave it away."

"Ah... yes...," Giles muttered, taking off his glasses and cleaning them, an awkward silence came upon them.

"The bells going to ring any minute," said Buffy, breaking the silence.

"Yes your absolutely right Buffy, back to training." said Giles, relieved.

"Actually," said Buffy, her eyes locked on Angel, "I think I better show Angel around to his classes. If were going to play the pretend game we better play it right."

"Buffy, Oz or Willow can show Angel around," Giles said sternly, "You really must get back to practicing your technique while using the sword."

Buffy pouted, but Giles stood firm. They started their routine over again.

"Let's see your timetable," said Willow, getting up from the computer.

Angel looked blankly at her.

"I got it," said Oz, grabbing 'Stan's' backpack and opening it. After a long investigation he finally appeared with 'Stan's school diary. His timetable was shoved at the back.

"Okay...," said Willow, looking through it, "You have gym first period and chemistry second, actually you only have a few classes with any one of us today."

"What am I supposed to do?" asked Angel, slightly panicked.

"Oh don't worry, your Friday timetable is exactly like..." Willow began, but the bell rung, cutting her short.

"Oh no," she said, "I have to get to Chem, Mr Baskerville asked me to help set up the example for..."

"Don't worry," said Oz, cutting her short and smiling sweetly, "I'll show Angel the way, you just go."

"Your so sweet," said Willow, her whole face lighting up, and then she was out the door.

"C'mon, lets go," said Oz.

Buffy was busy putting away the weapons, Angel hesitated before following Oz.

"So what's gym class like?" he asked, curious.

"You can't really explain it," shrugged Oz, "I suppose you just have to experience it to understand."

"Oh," said Angel, not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Oz dropped Angel off at the change rooms, explaining to him that he had to change into the short sleeved top and shorts then go to the gym. When Angel walked into the change rooms he saw two guy's wrestling with each other and a group around them hooting. _'Juveniles', _he thought, scornfully. Then he saw one guy start to change right in front of everyone. Angel turned red, no way was he going to do that, Oz hadn't mentioned doing that. Thankfully he glimpsed some one going into a shower cubicle then coming out, changed.

Angel quickly got into the nearest one, 5 minutes later he was changed into the top and shorts, he grabbed the smelly socks and wrestled them on, then came the sneakers. Angel glanced at them doubtfully, he _never,_ in the history of time, wore sneakers. _'Definetly not my style,' _he thought. He slipped one on slowly, then the other followed. '_There we go,' _he thought proudly, giving a goofy grinHis grin soon faded when he noticed the laces. He bent down, and wrestled with them. Finally he just decided to tie them in a weird mass of knots. '_The whole point of wearing boots is so that I don't have to tie laces,'_ he thought defensively.

"Hey," came a familiar voice outside, "Mr Grumps told me to tell you to get moving."

Angel opened the cubicle door to be greeted with the sight of Xander.

"Xander," he said, suprised.

Xander looked at him up and down, his gaze finally resting on Angel's shoes.

"Wow Stan, created a new style there I see," he said, a gleeful glint in his eyes. "Proves what I've been trying to tell everyone, jocks don't even have to know the basics to get through school."

Angel turned red, Xander didn't seem to know who he was and after this Angel wasn't about to tell him. He quickly brushed past Xander and started towards the gym door.

Xander glanced back at him, "Wow he didn't punch me," he said to himself, his mouth gaping open, "Did you see that, he didn't punch me."

Angel soon found out that gym class was not like the T.V depicted. First of all the teachers did not like being called 'Mr Grumps'. Angel soon found out that was a nickname the students called him and for good reason. Second of all the teachers did not want the students to have fun, no they wanted instead, to torture them and destroy their spirits by making them do laps and climb robes. (Neither of which Angel was good at. In the middle of running he stopped because he was so amazed his heart actually started to beat faster, and he kept on falling off the rope before he realised that he had to concentrate because he no longer had the great abilities he used to. ) Third of all their was Xander. Angel gathered that Xander had a really big grudge against Stan and he was having the best day of his life. Every time 'Stan' fell Xander always came out with remarks like, "Your brain must have over done itself when you tied your shoe laces." The problem was Angel couldn't retort because even though Xander wasn't the best, he was doing way better then Angel was. To top off the first period Angel had to stay back and listen to the coach drone on for a while, finally telling him to shape up. Then he had to go get changed and rush to the library, trying to avoid further humiliation.

When Angel swung the library doors open Buffy was sitting at the desk, a book open at her lap. She looked up when he walked in and quickly discarded the book, rising.

"How was it?" she asked, Angel couldn't even manage to reply. "Bad, huh," said Buffy sympathetically.

She walked over to him and took his hand in hers. "If it's any consolation, I'm going to flunk my history test and you'll be there to watch me be humiliated," Angel smiled lightly at her.

"That kind of does make me feel better," he gave her a little kiss.

"What the hell?" came Xander's voice from the doorway.

Xander Harris was having the best day of his life. He had just saw a jock humiliating himself and got in some kicks himself. He was on his way to tell Buffy and Willow all about it until he had opened the door and seen Buffy kissing Stan. First Xander was shocked then he saw red. He grabbed Stan by his cuff and pulled him away from Buffy,

"You pig," he yelled, "What are you doing, get off her."

Stan's instincts seemed to kick in as he wriggled out of Xander's grasp and kicked him, grabbing him and slamming him against the floor then pushing his arm against Xander's throat.

"Angel let him go," he heard Buffy say.

Stan gave a look of disappointment, but released Xander. Xander quickly got up, his hands balled into fists.

"I'm going to.." he started to say then what Buffy had called 'Stan registered. "Angel?" he said, looking at Stan in puzzlement.

"Yap it's Angel," said Buffy. "Some guy swapped bodies with him last night."

"What..?" Xander started to ask but just then the bell rang.

"Gotta go," said Buffy, giving 'Stan' a peck on the cheek, "Will told me you have chem now with Xander. He'll show you the way."

Then she left Angel and Xander to glare at eachother.

"I'll find my own way," said Stan.

"You do that," Xander growled.

'Stan' started to walk towards the door just as Giles appeared.

"Ah I'm glad I caught you two. Xander I need you to watch Angel a while." Giles said.

"What," Angel and Xander both protested.

"Just do it," said Giles impatiently, addressing Xander, "In some spells changes should be taking place a few hours after they are performed. I need to know if this is one of those spells."

"Why does everyone think I'm going to accept the job of being dead boys babysitter," Xander muttered sullenly, folding his arms.

"Because if you don't," said Giles, looking at him severely, "I will bring to attention to the _whole_ school about the matter of the book, 'Mr Funny Bunny', missing from the library. I believe yo were the last one to take it out, _last_ year."

Xander immedietly unfolded his arms, Stan had a small smile on his face.

"We're going to be late," said Xander, quickly heading towards the door, 'Stan' followed.

"So Xander," he said, "Mr Funny Bunny good, cause I've been wanting something to read, you know something really deep and meaningful."

Angel and Xander quickly slipped into the classroom. The teacher gave them a stern look and Xander smiled weakly.

"Mr Harris and Mr March so glad you could grace us with your presents," she said sternly. "If you two would kindly sit down I may be able to get on with the lesson."

Xander slipped himself into the nearest seat and Angel followed suit.

"I presume you all read the page I assigned for you," the teacher called over the head of the classes.  
She looked over the sea of faces, trying to find the most guilty one. That face was Xanders.

"Mr Harris," she said, walking towards his desk, "What would I receive if I mixed carbon dioxide and sulphur together?" she asked severely.

"A really loud bang," Xander said trying to give a winning smile. The teacher wasn't won over. It didn't help that Stan/Angel was smirking at his discomfort.

"Not amusing Mr Harris," she said. But to Xander's relief she moved on, and to make it better it was to 'Stan.'

"Mr March since you seem so confident why don't you tell me what it creates?" she asked. Xander saw the panic in Angel's eyes and it was his turn to smirk.

"Carbon dioxide and sulphur," said Angel, doing the old repeat the question trick. "Um... Um... sulphur dioxide?" there was, 'obviously forced', hysterical laughter in the classroom. Xander's smirk disappeared, he had forgotten that Stan had a humungous fan base that always backed him up.

"Detention to you both," said the teacher, smiling cruelly.

"But miss," came one of the jocks voices, "Stan has to do football practice, the game that's coming up could win us the cup."

The teacher gave a look around the class, if Sunnydale lost the cup she knew they would probably blame her. Xander's mouth dropped as he saw her relenting, it dropped even further when he saw 'Stan' doing Angel's puppy dog look. One look and she didn't stand a chance.

"I suppose Stan did have a try, you are released from detention Mr March."she said.

At that moment Xandere would bet anything smoke was coming from his ears.

Buffy heard them before they swung through the doors.

"Xander for the last time I did not brainwash her," Stan's voice carried, sounding annoyed.

"Oh so I suppose your charming good looks did it then," said Xander sarcastically.

"_This_ guy," said Angel skeptically, "It was probably my charm but definetly not Stan's looks."

Xander spluttered for a while as they sprung through the doors but gained his footing. "This coming from a guy who can't tie his shoe laces?" he said.

Buffy looked at Angel, "We didn't have shoe laces in my days," he said defensively. "Besides," he said, pointing accusingly at Xander, "He stole a book named Mr Funny Bunn from the library."

"Did not," said Xander.

"Did so," said Angel.

Then they started to try and yell over the top of each other.

Giles came out of his office, when he saw them he rolled his eyes, "For God sake," he muttered, Buffy only managed to catch it over the noise.

"Children, children," he yelled over them.

Xander and Angel both stopped.

"He started it," they said in unison.

"Did not," in unison again, Buffy could hardly suppress her laughter.

"I don't really give a damn who started it," said Giles, "As long as you take it somewhere else."

"I'm not watching him anymore," said Xander.

"Good I don't want you watching me," Angel snapped.

"Fine, fine, just take your childish behavior somewhere else, Buffy can watch Angel now." Giles said quickly.

Both Angel and Xander crossed their arms, Giles ignored them and went back to his office.

"What are you laughing at?" Angel asked, noticing Buffy.

"Nothing," said Buffy, "I just never realised how alike you two were."

They both gave horrified looks and stepped away from each other.

"Buff that is so not funny," said Xander.

"Like_ him_, yeah right," Angel scoffed.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else," said Buffy, trying to stop them before they could start another fight.

"Right," said Angel, Xander started to head towards the door.

"I'm getting out of here and as far away from _him_ as I can," he snapped.

Angel headed towards the door too, "Not before I can get away from you," he growled.

"So were are you heading?" Buffy asked, she was trying to distract Angel but Xander answered too.

"To the cafeteria." they said.

'_And once again with the unison,'_ she thought, '_That's really starting to freak me out.'_

Stan stared at the old peeling wall paper. His eyesight was so good that even in the shadowed room he could see it clearly, right down to the last petal of the tiny fading flowers.

He had been sitting their for so long he had lost track of time. He had stopped crying. The only thing he had done was be vomit in the bucket laying at his feet. He had only heaved a few hours ago but he knew it would come back, it always did, along with the head splitting pain. It hadn't gone away, no matter what he did it would never go away. The only reason he had done this stupid spell, now it was lost.

He hadn't really got a good look at the body, only grabbed the closest one. '_What's the point' _he thought dully, but he finally dragged himself up and walked towards the mirror, at least it was doing something instead of just staring at the wallpaper... waiting.

When he walked in front of the mirror their was nothing. Well their was the old cupboard behind him, but their was no body, no face. Stan was still in a slight daze, '_Must just be the light'_, he thought. He went to open the blinds.

When the sunlight hit him it was unimaginable pain, it hit him full force and he screamed. He managed to throw himself backwards into the shadows. He lay on the floor, he brought his hand up and gasped, his skin was smoking.

"What the hell," he said.

**Sorry it's short, I didn't have much time. It's going slow but we'll get their eventually. (Gulp... I hope). I hope you like, please review. : )**


	7. Jello Incident

CHAPTER EIGHT

**JELLO INCIDENT**

"_Incidents lead to other incidents, which lead to other incidents. Then you say things you don't really mean and among it all you find out stuff you didn't really want to know."_

"Okay so histories next right?" Angel asked, a frown on his face, "And I have that with you."

"Correct," said Buffy, "Although that's not a word your going to be hearing from the teacher a lot."

"What's his name?" asked Angel.

"Mr Harrold."

"So what's this stuff called?" Angel asked, holding up the spoon he held, filled with a jiggling red substance.

"Jello," Buffy said rolling his eyes, he had asked her what it was five times already.

"And it's supposed to taste nice right?" Angel asked.

"Yes," said Buffy in an extremely patient voice.

"Here goes," Stan's face was scrunched up, his eyes tightly shut, he brought the jello to his mouth and...

"Hey guys," Xander walked up to them, returning from the long line. Slapping Stan hard on the back he asked, "What ya doin?" As it _was_ Xander, and he _was_ slapping Angel on the back it wasn't very light, not even close.

Angel spluttered and coughed, he couldn't stop, his eyes were watering.

"Angel?" Buffy called, "Angel are you okay?"

He spluttered, coughing harder, Buffy handed him a juice box, "Drink it," she said. Angel obeyed taking a small sip, the coughs weren't so bad, he wiped away the collection of water in his eyes.

"I think your food went down the wrong way," Xander said.

Buffy glared daggers at him, "He could have chocked," she said, "Are you brain dead Xander, he's not a vampire anymore."

"_Not a vampire anymore,' _the words echoed in Angel's thoughts, nagging at him.

"Well sorry," Xander snapped, "Jeesh I didn't do it on purpose."

Angel noticed everyone was looking there way, the cafeteria was deadly silent.

"Are you okay Stan," a girl near by simpered at him.

"Yeah," he said, "Yeah, hey I almost choked." a small grin spread on his face, "Wow, I choke now, I mean I could before, but now I can actually die."

"Right," said the girl, taken a back.

"I think he's got concussion," said a jock.

"That's when you hit your head, idiot," Xander snapped at him.

"Yeah well maybe it works with lack of oxygen too," the guy replied.

"Anyway, he hasn't been acting himself lately," said another guy, "Sitting with you freaks, maybe he's sick."

"Maybe they've drugged him, you know," said a girl, 'Cause their such losers and they think he'll make them popular. We all know Buffy is a freak, weird things happen around her."

"Buffy's not a freak," said Angel defensively, standing up.

"What do you mean man?" asked the jock that had first spoken, "Everyone know's she is, you even made jokes about her. I mean she's a sweet dish to look at but she's not exactly on the sane side of things."

"Yeah well I was wrong," Angel said coldly, "and if anyone ever looks at her, even glances her way, calls her a sweet dish again, even think it they'll have me to answer to."

'Oh my God," came Cordelia's voice, "Stan, are you saying that your going out with Buffy?"

Before Angel could reply even think about it Buffy said yes. He felt stunned, she was grinning.

"Stan's going out with me," Buffy said, almost triumphantly.


	8. Who Said So?

**Who Said So?**

_"We put off the things we know are the most horrible things. As humans we ignore confrontations, and even things that aren't so human do it to. Heck, they have a whole lotta' more time then we do. Or do they?"_

Angel lagged behind the others, staying away from Buffy. Her words kept echoing in his head, her look. As if she had won something wonderful, some great chunk of life she had been missing. The more Angel thought of it, the more he realised, Buffy thought that in some way, some small part, she_ had _won part of her life back... part of her normal life. She had a boyfriend who was normal at least, who she could show off to the school.

Angel loved Buffy, but for who she was, not what she was. Being a Slayer was apart of her and even if she didn't see that, Angel sure did. Being a vampire... Angel had been one for so long. Of course he would jump if he ever got the chance to be human, but there was no chance of that, so he had learned how to put what he was to use. This body, this humanity, was only temporarily. Angel knew that, but Buffy still seemed to be deluding herself. Angel was enjoying the chance to walk in the sunlight, and eat, even being part of the great mass of teenagers, but he also missed his old body. He missed the sixth sense he had, the fast reflexes, his sense of smell, his vision and his strength. He missed walking around in his body, in his life. Right now he was just using a part of someone else's. But Buffy seemed to not mind, she seemed to not mind that the person she was looking at wasn't Angel, and Angel wasn't thinking of the appearance. No a part of him was missing and Buffy seemed glad of it. Even when it was a lie.

They reached the History class, Buffy quickly grabbed him when he got to the doorway, she pulled him into a seat next to her. She smiled at him, Stan, not Angel, gave a smile back. She didn't dare say anything because of the teacher... Mr Harrold, was standing at the front of the room tapping his foot impatiently. The class finally quietened down.

Mr Harrold looked at them all through his thick glasses, he was moderately tall, with a white beard covering most of his face. He reminded Angel of the sheep on the countryside he had once seen, in his native land.

"You all seem brimming with information today," said Mr Harrold, his voice was soft spoken but dangerous. "I think it's time for a bit of an oral quiz, don't you?"

The whole class groaned, Mr Harrold looked at them dangerously and they quickly quietened down.

"Clare how would you like to start us off," he said to an unsuspecting blonde sitting in the back row, twirling her hair. She jumped at his voice and then made a face.

"What year was the Great Depression?" Mr Harrold asked. 'That's so easy,' Angel thought, 'Everyone knows that one.'

But to Angel's suprise the girl didn't seem to, she played with her hair, scrunched up her face, and did a painful impression of thinking.

"1678," she finally said, and then laughed as if it was a great joke. Girls sitting next to her did so to, Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Wow, you appear to have grown less aware of history then before, well done Clare." Mr Harrold said.

"Now Buffy, why don't you tell us what the stripes on the American flag represent? We may have to make the question's slightly easier, so the group of girls at the back can understand the significance and words being used?"

"They represent our states," said Buffy, smiling brightly.

"One for you, Now Stan can you tell me what period of time was the war over."

"That's too easy," Angel said aloud, unconsciously. Mr Harrold gave him a look, Angel immedietly sunk in his seat. He mumbled the answer to the question and Mr Harrold asked him another one, one he thought was more complex. Ange answered that too and all the others aimed at his direction. When the bell finally rung, everyone was staring at Angel like he was something amazing and Mr Harrold was completely astounded.

Buffy grabbed Angel's arm, beaming at him. "You were amazing," she said, as they walked down the corridor. "I mean, he hit you with like, thirty questions and you answered them all perfectly. You even made him forget to give us homework."

Angel smiled in response to her smile. "Yeah, well you live as long as I do and you learn some things."

Buffy's smile seemed to disappear into a smaller one. A strained look came across her face. "No one knows that though, she suddenly said persuasively,"They all think your just a seventeen year old. Your nothing more, nothing different."

Angel's smile disappeared, he tried to push away the thought in his mind, the voice that said, 'She wants you to stay like this.' He had just managed to dampen it, when it happened.

It was short and sharp, but it seemed longer. Everything seemed to spin and his head felt like it was going to explode. He couldn't seem to hear or see anything, only the pain. Then it stopped, gone as quickly as it had come.

Buffy's face came into view, he was bent double, no one else seemed to have noticed anything was wrong with him. Angel frowned slightly, then he brushed it off, it was probably caused from... He wasn't sure, then he thought of the perfect excuse. He wasn't used to breathing, he had probably forgotten to do it, that's all, that's all... He gave a grin and a forced laugh, straightening up. Buffy looked shock, then her face turned into realisation.

She gave him a fake slap, "Don't do that again," she said, "It wasn't funny."

"It was just a joke," Angel said, a humungous grin plastered on his face. Yeah, who said it wasn't a joke? Who said Buffy had to know? Who said Angel had to deal with it? Who?

**Sorry it's taken so long : p**


	9. Foozball

**I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry to infinity and beyond that it's taken so long. I just seemed to lose my inspiration with this story as well as the storyline. But I've copied it all off the internet and I'm back, at least I think I am. To make it better or at least try I'm posting two chapters. I'm sorry again and please read and review. **

**: p**

CHAPTER NINE

**FOOZBALL**

"_People can get a little feisty when it comes to sport and being individuals, especially teenagers."_

Angel stood outside on the playing field, the wind was whipping his hair right into his eyes and he felt like an idiot with padding all over him. _'Yes ladies and gentleman,_' he thought to himself, _'This is me about to play football.' _

"Stanley what took you so long," the coach shouted from the other end of the pitch, "Get over here right now, and get your helmet on son. You can get knocked out after you win us the championship. Angel gritted his teeth but quickly strapped up his helmet, (it wasn't as bad as tying shoe laces), and reluctantly jogged towards the big pile of boys warming up, the coach right at their centre.

"Stretch before you go out there." _'Does this guy always yell,'_ Angel thought irritably.

He stood there looking around at all the other guys; he knew how to stretch for a fight, but for a football practice? The coach was busy looking over his practice plan and crossing out things, muttering to himself. He stood their dumbly for a while, then decided to do a stretch a guy next to him seemed to be doing. It was less embarrassing then some other guys were doing anyway. Angel grabbed his ankle and attempted to balance. It failed miserably and Angel only just managed to stop him himself tumbling over. He heard loud clapping and whistling from the stands and turned around slowly, completely red and dreading what he was about to see. There he was, Xander Harris in all his glory and might, standing up on the highest stand clapping with all his might. To top it off Buffy, Willow, Oz, Cordelia, heck the whole gang was sitting there watching him. He scanned up and down the stands just to make certain Giles wasn't there too; luckily the stiff British librarian had remained… well what he was a stiff British librarian, remaining in his library.

"And I thought gym class was perfect. Ladies and gentleman _this_ is heaven," Xander called.

"Shut up Xander," Angel heard Buffy growl, pulling him down, "Stop being a jerk or I'll make you stop."

"But Buffy," Xander whined, "It's like handing a five year old a pin and his least favorite teachers behind."

"Xander," growled Buffy dangerously, "Don't push it, I wasn't kidding." Xander made a face, but nonetheless slumped defeated, blowing up his cheeks and putting his head in his hands.

"Can you teach me how to do that," he heard Cordelia say.

"Stan, MOVE," the coach practically screamed in his ear. Angel jumped almost a foot and ran quickly, following the now receding team to the other side of the field. It looked like stretching time was over. _'Oh well,_' he thought, _'How important can stretching be, it's only a training session not a fight.' _

They split into two lines and started practicing throwing and catching. When Angel got to the front he felt his heart start to beat faster and his palms become sweaty, it took him a moment to realize he was nervous.

"Get a move on March," the coach yelled. Angel jogged slowly, the other guy coming up to meet him, Angel put his hands out before the guy released the ball, scared that he'd put them out too late. The ball came towards him, he reached out to catch it, and it fell right through the gap in his arms. He heard laughter burst from all sides of the line, and from the stands. He was pretty sure he was as red as the devil by now.

'What the hell are you doing March," the coach yelled, running towards him. He seemed even redder then Angel guessed he himself was. "Stop mucking around like you usually do and do this properly or do laps."

"Sorry," muttered Angel, he quickly knelt down and picked up the ball, he straightened up and passed it to the other guy, it was an awkward pass with no tact or skill, but at least it reached the other player. '_At least this guys the class clown and they all think I'm doing this on purpose,'_ Angel thought consolingly as he heard some sniggers. But it wasn't that consoling as he remembered the people, mainly Buffy, sitting in the stands, who knew he wasn't doing this on purpose.

"Catch it properly this time March, your holding up the whole team," some more yelling from the coach.

"Alright, alright I heard you the first time," Angel muttered, but only under his breathe. The guy passed it again and Angel only just managed to catch it, he ran on and passed it to the guy at the head of the other line. This time Angel wasn't so lucky. His pass had a lot of force in it, due to relief and he aimed a little too enthusiastically. The ball hit the guy right in the face and Angel thought he heard something crack in a sickening way, blood started to gush out of the guys now flattened nose.

"I'm so sorry,' Angel apologized profusely, he turned even redder now.

"Id's odkay," the guy said over his bloody nose, stepping away from Angel as if afraid of further injuries.

All the guys crowded around him, one guy stood next to Angel, jeering, "Er, what are you saying sorry to McClaggan for?"

"Yeah," another guy cried out, "He's the one who got his stupid ugly face in the way of the ball, isn't that right McSlaggan." The other jocks guffawed as if this was a great joke. Angel noticed that the guy was a lot smaller and timid looking then everyone else.

"S…sowwy," he stuttered, he kept his eyes to the ground. Angel noticed that he seemed far too used to this then Angel liked. He looked around for the coach, but the man who had come running to reprimand Angel for dropping the ball a few moments ago, was now strolling along at his own leisure. Angel realized, with a burst of anger that he was smiling; obviously he knew what the other jocks were doing but felt no inclination to butt in.

"Come on guys," Angel said, trying for the friendly approach, "He better get to the nurse he doesn't look so good, just leave him alone."

"What's gotten into you Stan," said one of the guys, looking at him like he was an alien. "You're always the one who wants to have a little fun. I mean you're the one who thought of Slaggy's nickname."

"And a stroke of genius it was too," one of the guys exclaimed.

"Yeah I'm the one who started it and now I'm the one who's saying you should finish it," Angel said, dangerously quiet. _'Okay so that's a bit of a lie but… all for a good cause,'_ he thought.

All the jocks fell silent, not meeting his gaze. "What happened to having fun," the same guy challenged finally. Angel ignored him, pushing past him he went to Slaggy, for want of a better name. The poor guy looked like he was about to pass out, he had turned a nasty shade of green. Angel draped his arm over his shoulder and let him lean all his weight on him.

"I'm taking him to the nurse," Angel called to the coach who had just reached earshot.

"Fine," he shouted rather reluctantly, "But don't take too long, if were going to win the cup we need to train, especially you."

Angel gritted his teeth but said nothing, dragging Slaggy back up to the school. The poor guy was half out of it; he didn't seem to know what was going on. Angel hoped that he didn't have a concussion. Buffy and the others were veering towards him, Xander was in the lead, Angel sped up, trying to avoid him, but sadly he wasn't a vampire and didn't have his vampy strength to help.

"Nice pass, Dead boy," Xander crowed as he came within hearing shot. "I think you broke Slaggy's skull."

"Don't call him that," Angel growled.

"Hey, his head did get in the way after all," Angel's head snapped towards Buffy, she was giggling and leaning on Willow. Angel felt highly uncomfortable, he had never seen Buffy like this, so vindictive for no reason, so… mean. He turned away quickly from her, pretending to concentrate on keeping Slaggy up.

"Here I'll help," said Buffy, still giggling. She took one of Slaggy's shoulders, practically holding all his weight by herself. Angel didn't let go though, there were times when a less strong boyfriend had to pretend, for his macho sake.

"Wait till I tell Harmony about this," Cordelia snorted, "Of course I was alone when I saw it, checking out jocks, wasn't I. My social status cannot go down, I mean it already has gone down a notch since Xander, I'm swamped with work, trying to bring it back up."

"Of course Cordy," said Xander, draping his arm over her, "Do you want me to come verify to your friends that you were alone."

"I would Harris," said Cordelia, disgusted, "If your words were worth anything at all. And what did I tell you about not in public." She pushed his arm off her roughly and sauntered slightly ahead, dissociating herself from the loser-ites.

"Someone's crabby on top of being a female dog today," Xander said, drooping slightly. Oz patted him consolingly on the back.

"Perhaps the boss is visiting today, "Willow said perkily, "Maybe she has to show them the numbers or get cut from the female dog society."

"Probably," Xander said, nodding knowingly. They had reached the dark looming doors of Sunnydale High.

"The nurses office is right around the corner," Buffy said, Angel felt relief flood him, his back was killing him after being crouched for so long.

"I've got to go," Oz said, checking his watch, "Band practice."

"Oh can groupies come along?" Willow asked excitedly.

"I think we can squeeze you in," Oz smiled as Willow grabbed his hand and started to drag him towards his van, the theme now cow print.

"I better get home too," said Xander gloomily. "Meet you up at the Bronze Buff?"

"I don't think so," Buffy said, "I've got a ton of homework to do and I'm just not in the mood for it tonight."

"Right," Xander sighed and turned around, Cordelia had already headed for her car after hearing Xander was leaving, and with him her potential for a smooch.

"And now there are two," Buffy said.

"Three," Angel pointed out; Slaggy gave a groan as they pulled him through the door. They turned the corner and Buffy knocked on the door with her free hand.

"Is that you again Mr McClaggan," a woman's voice, a woman who sounded slightly annoyed. "How many times has it been this year, oh yes fifteen, you really need to be more careful." The nurse opened the door and her mouth formed a silent oh. Angel guessed they must look a sight, with blood all over Slaggy's front.

"He got hit with a football," Angel grunted, guilt filling him.

"Bring him in," the nurse said, her eyes narrowed towards him with dislike. _'What did I do,'_ Angel thought defensively, and then he remembered that Stan seemed to be the one who had started the victimizing of Slaggy. By the sounds of it this hadn't been the first time Slaggy had come to the nurse and probably most injuries retained from Stan.

The nurse's room was quite small, with the trolley filled with tools at one side and an examination table at the other that was practically it. There was a door at the end which Angel guessed probably was an old cupboard they had converted into the nurses office. The door had a peeling sign with a few letters still discernable, CUPOAD which led Angel to believe this. Angel caught the strong whiff of disinfectant; it made his head spin slightly.

"Set him down here," the nurse said, pointing to the examining table, "Careful, careful," she said quickly to Angel. _'Like I'm not being,_' Angel thought grumpily.

Slaggy groaned a bit but was able to sit up. The nurse examined his nose, getting an ice pack and some tissues. "Well it looks like he got hit with a football."

Angel guessed she hadn't believed him the first time, '_Probably thought Stan beat him up,'_ for some reason this accusation made him feel bad.

"Here have some fruit juice, the sugar will do you good," the nurse said, planting a cup in Slaggy's hand. He sipped it a bit and his colour started to slowly turn back to normal. The nurse bandaged up his nose, "I don't think it's broken," she said, "You must have just burst a blood vessel, but if you feel any sicker come to me or go to your doctor."

Slaggy nodded and slowly got up, "Tanks," he said to her, trying to breathe and talk through his mouth at the same time. He looked apprehensively towards Angel but the nurse was now making shooing motions with her hand and saying loudly it was about time she locked up. The old biddy obviously wanted to go home now. Stan finally trudged out of the room, not making eye contact, Angel filed behind him along with Buffy.

"Look I'm really sorry…" Angel began; he was determined to see this right.

"Why can't you just leave me alone," Slaggy said, shaking with fear or anger Angel wasn't sure. "I'll go to Snyder i… if you don't…" his nerve seemed to have left him, his voice faded.

"Look," Angel tried again, "I really am sorry about the ball, it was an accident, and all the stuff I did. I…."

"Don't give me that," Slaggy was now yelling, "You're not sorry and don't pretend you are. You don't even know my real name. Just leave me alone because I'm learning self defense and next time it will be you with the bloody nose, so just… leave me alone." It was a bit of a lame ending, a bit of a weak speech since the guy was shaking with obvious fear now, but he seemed determined to be dramatic, stamping away, only having to turn around again because he had been going the opposite way from the exit.

"Great," Angel said bitterly once Slaggy was gone, "I had to swap bodies with a guy who's a complete jerk, this is just great." He kicked the nearest locker and then started to swear, hopping around as his foot was throbbing horribly. He hated it, hated the fact that he had to carry this guys conscience and misdemeanors on top of his own, because that's what he was doing, that was the way he was, he felt like the biggest jerk in the world right now because a guy he didn't even know used to pick on a guy who he didn't even know the name of.

"You're not a jerk," said Buffy, "Slaggy's the jerk, I mean talk about ingratitude."

"Yeah well wouldn't you be like that if a guy picked on you for no reason everyday," Angel growled.

"Yeah but see unlike him, I'm not a dork so guys don't pick on me," Buffy smiled, Angel felt his mood worsen, she seemed so short sighted, so not Buffy.

"Anyway," she said, moving towards him, "I was wondering if you want to go somewhere and get some smooches, I mean it's not like you have to go back to stupid football practice, there's not much the coach can do to you."

"You mean you want to make out with Stan," Angel said coldly. Buffy backed away as if she'd been hit.

"No," she finally said, her eyes wide.

"Oh stop looking so wounded," Angel snapped, suddenly furious, "We both know what you want, you want Stan, and you want a normal teenage boyfriend who's popular because he's bigger and meaner then anyone else. Well guess what Buffy I'm not any of that, I'm a vampire with a soul who's trying to atone for the centuries he's been ripping out people's throats. I'm a champion trying to fight the good fight, helping the downtrodden, and up till now I thought you were too, but I guess when it comes to someone popular it's their victims faults because there losers, isn't that right?" He took an aggressive step towards her.

"No," she said, grabbing his arm, "This is high school Angel not the arena, you got to fight the important battles, not the street squabbles. So what if I don't stand up for every Tom, Dick and Harry, so what if I want to just not be righteous for a moment, just be normal and have fun."

"Well Buffy I guess your not going to have a lot of fun around me," Angel growled, "Because this is only temporary, this face this body, it isn't me. No once we get this fixed, and I hope we do it fast, I'll be a vampire again, I'll be Angel. This is only temporary and I can handle that, but can you? Can you go back to who I really am?"

"It doesn't have to be temporary you know," Buffy said, her eyes sparkling.

"I guess I have your answer then," Angel nodded slowly and took his hand out of her grip. "High school does something to people Buffy," he said, backing away, "I guess I thought you'd be strong enough to see it and fight it. I suppose I was wrong though, like I was wrong about everything else," he turned his back to her.

"Angel," Buffy called as he walked away.

"Stan's body has to get back to football practice," he called back coldly. After he had gone Buffy sighed and walked out after him.

The nurse watched her go through a crack in the door, once the main doors had swung shut behind her she sighed, relieved. She slowly opened the door and slipped out hurrying to the exit, she didn't want to be stuck again. She was just about to go home when those too had started. It had been highly embarrassing and dramatic to have to stand there and listen to it all; waiting for them to finish their little soap so she could go home. Some of the things they said sounded entirely silly and she had wondered for a moment whether they both hadn't been high, but then again teenagers always liked to make up little dramas to pretend they were in the middle of everything. She remembered how very tiring being a teenager had been, of course she had later learned that it was all to do with hormones. Yes puberty was a rollercoaster ride and the nurse was quite happy it wasn't something she had to repeat again. Because unlike normal rollercoaster rides you couldn't get off it, and it was one of the unpleasant ones which you spewed through. The nurse reached her car and sighed gratefully, now she just had to open it up, hop in and drive to the safety of her home where there were no teenagers. There she could pour herself a glass of vodka and count how many more paychecks she needed until she could go on the holiday that was the reason she was working. She moved her hand instinctively to put in her purse and got an unpleasant jolt as she felt nothing there. She turned back slowly, she would have to return to the gloomy school again, she just hoped that she didn't meet any hormone filled teenagers along the way.

**Okay a bit strange but I'm in a strange mood. Just learned how to ride my bike and jumping all over the place, not that you need to know that. I think I've drunk too much Milo, it's my coffee. Anyways please read this and the other chapter after this and review, even though I'm so undeserving. : p**


	10. Instincts

CHAPTER ELEVEN

**INSTINCTS**

"_There are some cases where we have to let our instincts take over… in order to stay alive."_

Angel ran hard, his lungs hurt, his body ached. He was used to pushing himself but he wasn't used to his body protesting about it.

"Move it March," the coach roared, "Are you a girl scout or something, go and meet that ball."

Angel gave him a filthy look; some girls he knew could kick this guys butt to the moon and back_. 'Don't think about her,'_ Angel thought, gritting his teeth, thinking about… you know… made him feel even more annoyed, a small fraction of this feeling was aimed at himself, the rest towards… the blonde Slayer… he couldn't even think her name without his thoughts going into turmoil. He didn't need that right now, what he needed was to concentrate, concentrate on the ball arcing its way towards him.

The ever popular phrase that swept sports films entered Angel's mind, he bit his tongue holding back the urge to say, "I got it, I got it." People who always said that always missed the ball by a hairs width. He stretched out his hands as the ball came towards him, jumped and caught it. His jaw dropped open as the red pig hide lay in his grip.

"I got it," he said, almost laughing, then something hit him like a ton of bricks and he promptly dropped it. The guy quickly got off him and ran after his team mate who had picked up the ball. Angel felt slightly dazed, then the coach came into focus, _'Oh no_' he thought, _'I should have gone to a classroom with Buffy.'_

"WHAT THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING," the coach screamed, practically in Angel's face, "WHEN YOU CATCH THE BALL YOU RUN WITH IT IDIOT," it went on like that for about half an hour, in which time the training session was over. He paused to blow the whistle and tell the guys to hit the showers. Angel was just about to follow them when he grabbed him by the shoulder. Angel refrained grudgingly, from hitting him, although it was a close call.

"March I sure as hell hope this was one of your joke sessions because if you ever play like that again I will personally take out your insides and eat them in front of you."

Angel was about to tell him that it wasn't a pleasant an experience as it seemed, Angel trying it personally, the ripping out part of course, not the eating one, because that was just gross, when the coach uttered those dreaded words.

"Laps March, and don't change until you've done about fifty of them."

Angel stared at him dumbly, but the sinking sensation in his stomach, and the look on the coach's face, told him that he wasn't kidding.

"Another thing March," the coach said as an after thought, "Get those stupid ugly contacts out before the game, maybe then you'll be able to see the ball better."

Angel called the coach all the amount of curses under the blue moon he knew. He knew a lot and they lasted him the twenty laps he ran, jogged and finally walked around the field. The coach had decided to leave by his twenty first lap, so he thought it was safe enough to skip to the change rooms halfway through. As Angel walked towards the change rooms he cast an evil look at Sunnydale High. The setting sun cast sinister shadows over the building, it was already dusk. The school was evil and he couldn't wait to get out of it. He thought that having a tutor was much more desirable then high school, and wished he hadn't cursed his old tutor so much when he was young_. 'If only I could have seen what high school is like back then,_' he thought, _'I would have thought my tutor was an angel_.'

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The nurse walked tentatively through the door; it was dark and shadowy inside and seemed to creep her out. _'Don't be silly,_' she thought to herself, _'After all you've been in here after hours before.' _She flinched as she brushed a cut on her finger, wringing her hands nervously. She had meant to put a bandage on it but had completely forgot after McClaggan had come with that bully Stan and that strange girl Buffy._ 'I'm not going to stick around long enough to put one on now,_' she thought nervously_, 'It can wait for home.' _

The truth was the nurse had never been there after hours if she could help it, and she made sure she couldn't. As soon as old Billy the school janitor turned off the lights the nurse had made sure she was out of the old building, you couldn't have paid her any amount of money to stay in their, and yet here she was, going back to her office to get her bag, _'Damn, useful keys_,' she thought, if only she knew how to pick a lock and hotwire a car, but sadly she had never ventured to learn all these useful things her peers learnt in high school, but had rather decided to study about medicines, and how to treat cuts or colds. _'Why couldn't I have been a normal hooligan,_ she thought wistfully as she stepped further into the dark school and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

If she was an easily scared woman the nurse would have turned around, trying to seek the person she could have sworn was watching her, even stalking her, but the nurse was not an easily scared woman, no she was an easily terrified woman. The nurse's fear did not permit her to turn around, because she knew that if she turned around and came face to face with someone… or something she would certainly be locked in fear and probably have a heart attack. So the nurse, more able to function with her ignorance then without it, ventured further into the high school and turned, heading for her office and tried to ignore her ever looming feeling of doom.

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**S**tanhad come to the school for one purpose and one purpose only, which was to get rid of himself, his body… his old life. He felt incredibly dry, parched even, he had already drunk twelve glasses of water, but his thirst had still not been quenched, neither had been his hunger, even though he had eaten a steak, pork, bacon and chicken. He usually liked his meat well done but he had had the urge for rare, really rare meat with it still swimming in blood, he had enjoyed it… a lot, he made a note to himself to eat his meat like that in the future. A future, now he was going to have one, a long road stretched out in front of him, he would be having fifty, sixty, heck maybe even eighty years of beautiful life.

Of course it took some getting used to this weird body, but when he got past the whole burst into flames part and the no reflection thing it wasn't so bad, heck just a few hours ago he had done a spell from a book to swap bodies with someone else, and it had actually worked. Now he could get into night clubs, get older women even, no, in this body he would be _having _older women running all over him, he had seen that from the approving looks they had all directed his way. Yep life was good in a weird sort of way, but it was still life and he was determined to make sure it remained that way.

He had seen that Buffy girl grab his old body, threaten it, he knew she dealt with freaky stuff and he knew that she was friends with the weird librarian, the librarian who kept all the weird books with magical incantations in them, owner of the book he had used to do the spell. He knew it was only a matter of time before they found the counter spell, or whatever the spell to reverse this was called, he didn't want that to happen and he knew their was only one way to make sure he wasn't stuck back in the body with a one way ticket, the book had said it itself, he had to get rid of the other vessel, the other soul so their was nothing to go back to, nothing to swap with.

He glided along, _'Silent but deadly,_' he thought grinning. It had taken him a while to figure out that he could walk around at dusk, walk in the shadows. Every muscle in his body seemed to be alive, his eyes pierced through the darkness as if it hardly was there and his ears could catch noises three blocks away. He smiled and fought down the urge to laugh, he licked his lips, tasting the old blood on them, left over from his hardly cooked meal. He felt something rise up in him; a hunger so powerful, ferocity so primal and then he saw her. She was a lone figure walking back into the quickly growing dark building. His brain was still numb from the feeling but his body wasn't, it followed silently behind, stalking a predator.

He felt like sniggering as he saw her step falter down the hall, then her pace quickened, turning the corner. _'Silly old bat,'_ he though_, 'Never did like her._' He kept on following her, then she reached the nurses room and fumbled with the door, he kept to the shadows. She turned the doorknob, applied pressure with her shoulder and it sprung open. Stan was about to make a note about it, store it in his memory for future reference, for his friends and him to cause trouble, maybe even knick some drugs and experiment, but then he chucked the thought away. This was useless information now, after today Stan would never have to go back to this hell hole, no he could shoot out of here, out of this town and start a new life.

The nurse scrabbled around in the room, she finally found something and came out, closing the door, turning around she gasped and dropped an ugly snake print bag she had clutched in her hand, the door swung shut behind her the lock gave a decisive click. Stan had stepped out of the shadows, he just wanted to scare the silly old bat, shake her nerves a bit and see what happened. After all she was always talking to him about picking on the dork Slaggy, saying all she needed was the slightest bit of proof and then she'd be taking him to Principal Snyder. Now Stan was much bigger, much more muscular and much more stronger then her, he, now, was the one with the power over her, then he smelt it.

It was a coppery smell bringing a coppery taste in his mouth, a pleasant taste, a hundred times better then the cold meats blood because this was fresh, this was warm and he could hear it now beating through the frightened woman. He had smelt it all over town, among thousands of other smells this one had stood out the most, better then any burger or fries, milkshake or ice cream, this was the best meal he'd ever have, something told him this inside. Then Stan almost laughed aloud at himself, he had been feeding this body meat, stupid, no blood, blood was what would quench the hunger always at the edge of this bodies reactions, this bodies movements, his thoughts…. Stan felt his face change, felt power course through him but he paid no attention to these changes, all he could think of was the hunger, then the beast pounced and the meat screamed.

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Giles was walking through Sunnydale High, he was almost at the exit but he wasn't thinking about such trivial things, no Giles was thinking about the predicament Angel had got himself into. At first he had thought it may have been a demon, something trying to masquerade as Angel maybe to get to Buffy, but this idea had fallen short when their had been no sign of the body. Then he had decided to check Stan's records, he remembered that only a week ago the boy had come into the library, slightly pale and upset. Giles hadn't cast him a second glance, immersed in Slayer business at the time, but he had remembered the teenager taking out a book with some trivial magic. Giles had hesitated at the thought of giving the book to the boy, but it had soon dissipated when he had taken in his tan and good looks. He had guessed that the boy had only taken the book out because one of his teachers had insisted he do some reading and guessed that the book would be chucked in a quiet corner for a while until Giles had to send out several nasty letters requesting for it back. That, unfortunately not being a reason to deprive a student of a book, the librarian was forced to yield. Of course if that actually was cause for him to not give over a book no one in Sunnydale High would be taking out one except Willow, as all of them just took out books because of pressure from teachers.

The boy had returned the book well before the due by date though, and only a few days before he swapped bodies with Angel. Giles was now immersed in it and he felt dread start to seep throughout his body, he was beginning to wish he had kept the book locked away. A whole section of the book was dedicated to cheating death, one of the easiest spells being one on swapping bodies with another. Giles had read that the only way to know if this spell had been cast was to see if the persons eyes had changed, (a symptom which resulted in many body swapping spells, and so no use to Giles), or to observe if they gain any symptoms of the sickness or cause of the thing that would have caused the other persons demise. This was the reason Giles had got Xander to watch Angel, but as the day had wore on he realized how completely useless that was, as the two of them would have probably been so involved in bickering they wouldn't have even noticed if something had been wrong with Angel. The book said that the symptoms should appear within a few hours after the spell had taken affect, and Giles had seen no result of this, but he was still reluctant to give up his theory, as this was the best and only one he had. The more certain they were about the spell used, the easier it would be to counteract it.

Giles was just about to push the swinging doors open when he heard the scream. He dropped the book immediately and started to run towards where he had thought it had come from, fishing out a stake from his pocket as he ran along. He ran past a corridor and saw a figure down it, with a weakly struggling human, he skidded his shoes making squeaking noises on the polished floors, and quickly turned around, running and making the turn he had missed. He was panting heavily, '_Oh bother,_' he thought, _'why can't the struggling victims ever just be straight ahead and close by.'_ He was pulled up short by the sight of the attacker, bent over the now limp victim.

"Angel?" he panted, completely forgetting for the moment that this wasn't Angel, but was presumed to be Stan.

The creature whipped around, uncomprehending for a moment, then it's yellow eyes widened, it turned to look at the now unconscious lady in his arms, then let her go, her limp body dropping to the floor. He quickly scrabbled away from her, his face changed back to its human mask, his eyes blue flecked with greem, not Angel's eyes, not Angel, but Stan. Giles comprehended this all in a moment and then quickly rushed to kneel down next to the victims' body, he recognized her as the school nurse, a pleasant lady although he had never quiet managed to catch her name. By the two puncture wounds on her neck Giles guessed Stan had decided to take a nibble. _'Maybe not decided,_' he thought, looking up at Angel's body pacing in front of him, _'Maybe just did, out of instinct._' Stan's eyes caught him looking at him and Giles didn't break his gaze, checking the nurses pulse as he maintained eye contact, it was weak but it was still beating, meaning that she was still alive, their was still a chance. Stan broke contact, kept pacing.

"How did this happen Stan?" Giles asked, putting on an authoritive voice, Stan needed an adult now, after all he was only a teenager, meaning he had the mind of a ten year old, being a boy he would be lucky if he had the mind of a five.

"I…I didn't mean to… I was just so hungry… so hungry…" Stan shuddered involuntarily and kept on pacing frantically, as if pacing would keep all his thoughts together, keep him sane, by the look of it Giles didn't think it was very successful.

"It is all right Stan," he said, trying to sound reassuring, "It was an accident, it's quite all right." The one thing he had learned while working with teenagers was that they hated you saying you understood them, because of course an adult who had lived longer in the world then they had knew nothing about being a teenager.

"I only came back… only to make sure I didn't … Dr Drake… three months…three months…" Stan moaned this last part.

"Why," Giles asked, carefully now, he rose to his feet slowly, making sure he didn't make any sudden movements, making sure he had his stake firmly in his grip so he could use it if the need arose. "Why did you come back, to reverse the spell, is that why Stan?"

"No," Stan snapped now, irate, "Why would I do something as stupid as that… I came… I came to make the spell permanent…. To kill myself… to kill Stan." He turned to look at Giles now, a hysterical glint in his eyes. Giles guessed he must be in shock, he thought it was now or never to try and persuade Stan to turn over a new leaf and not literally become one.

"Come now Stan, it can't be that bad. There has to be another answer, you can't kill someone, you know you can't, you still have a soul, you can feel it. This isn't the answer, you can't kill…" Giles was going to finish off with an innocent but he realized that would be overdoing it a bit, after all they were talking about Angel here, a vampire. Giles caught Stan's gaze again and his heart began to sink. Their was clarity in Stan's eyes now, the confusion now gone, apparently he had decided to come out of shock. Giles made sure his stake was raised, making slight adjustments so Stan would not notice, preparing if he decided to succumb to the vampire instincts and attack. Stan just looked Giles in the eye, and something like... teenage anger, bitterness and feelings of not being understood seemed to flash in his eyes.

"Another way, another way," his voice had become slightly high with anger and frustration, "Well, this is the _only_ way I've found, and if your doctor told _you,_ you only had around a year to live wouldn't you be taking whatever you got, Mr. Smarty pants."

Giles was speechless and astounded for a moment, this outburst, so like a teenagers and so not, was not what he had been expecting. Then Stan growled and ran, vaulting over the nurses body and pushing a stunned Giles out of the way, he certainly did not have Angel's grace and his ungraceful movement did not allow him to sink into the shadows, but the vampires agility worked for him and Giles heard the school doors banging shut soon after. Giles had been to speechless to even attempt to follow him, but the banging brought him to his senses and he quickly opened the nurses office, not bothering with the keys but using the old trick all the teachers knew. He quickly stumbled to the old cupboard Principal Snyder had converted into an office for her after she had asked for a pay rise, and quickly grabbed the phone on the small desk stuffed into the cupboard. He called nine-one-one and after receiving reassurance the ambulance would be on its way he went back to the nurse. He checked her pulse again but it was as it had been before and he gave a little sigh, it looked like he'd have to be waiting for a while here, not really needed. After curiosity itched at him for a while he finally scratched it by looking down at her name tag. It read SCHOOL NURSE, Giles growled, looking away again.

"Bloody cheap school," he muttered under his breathe.

Twenty minutes later the paramedics finally arrived and took over Giles charge. They asked him numerous questions but the only thing he could give them was that he found her lying on the floor like this. The paramedics finally filled in the blanks of how she had two holes in her neck, as they always so craftily did, by saying she must have accidentally fallen or poked herself with a needle. Giles rolled his eyes as he heard this theory but kept mum, it wasn't like they would believe him, but rather shove him in a nut house, _'I'm not quiet ready for that yet,'_ he thought indignantly.

The paramedics assured Giles that she would be fine, that she was stable and would probably wake up in a few hours. They didn't seem to be rushing either and seemed more interested in having a chat. Finally Giles had to snap at them for the fourth time, that no he did not want to ride in them in the ambulance, and point out forcefully that she was looking slightly pale, in order to get them moving. Giles followed them to the door and then paused, pretending to tie his shoelace he actually picked up the book he had been reading moments before the school nurse had been attacked.

He quickly walked out of the school, and ignoring the paramedics waving, went to his car, or Giles mobile as his teenage charge and her friends had fondly dubbed it. Giles sat in it and quickly opened the book, flicking through it to find the page the spell had been on. He scaled his eyes down the page until he found the sentence; he tapped his finger on it and smiled grimly, not with pleasure but with confirmation. There in plain print it read, "_To make sure this spell is irreversible one of the shells and or souls swapped must be eradicated. Destroyed so there is no possible way for them to create the spell and reverse the effects, as there will be nothing to reverse with."_

Giles had to get home and call Buffy straight away, he looked out the window and saw Billy the groundskeeper looking at him as if he was crazy to be sitting in his car and reading a book. Giles refrained from pulling a face at Billy only by the mere thought that the poor man was slightly befuddled and… well… old. It appeared that Billy had finally locked up and was going home, Giles waited until Billy had got into his car and started it up, driving off, then he put his keys in his own ignition, starting it up. He accelerated, thinking about what he had discovered and learnt, trying to piece what Stan had told him together, that's why it took him a while to realize that his car was spluttering, and then it died.

"No," he muttered under his breathe, he started it up again, but it spluttered more quickly and died, Giles hadn't even gotten out of the parking lot. "Bloody hell," Giles muttered, suddenly the staring Billy didn't look all that bad, at least he could call a car service for Giles, but he was long gone and Giles was alone in Sunnydale High parking lot. It certainly was the mouth of hell. _'I suppose Stan won't try anything tonight,_' he thought consolingly as he walked to the side of the road and put his hand out, waiting for a car to pass, a firm grip on the stake concealed in his jacket pocket. _'No need to alarm Buffy, everything will probably be fine.' _This thought would have been comforting if Giles didn't keep on seeing the look of certainty and conviction in Stan's eyes when he said, _"This is the only way,"_ and the thought of what was motivating him… death. Stan had a vampire's instinct as well as natures now, a predators instincts and a powerful body to match, he doubted the instinct of survival allowed for reasoning or thoughts, instincts were only for reactions and right now Stan's instinct was telling him to kill in order to stay alive, he doubted anyone could argue with that.

**I hope you liked, please review. Okay I was thinking and I really want to rename this story I don't think the title matches, because Angel doesn't really go _back_ to high school as he's never been there in the first place. Okay these are what I thought of, Role Swap, What's my Role? Fitting in, Who's life's Is this? My life, your life? Living it, Living Hell. I don't know I've run out now. So please tell me what you like best and I'm open for suggestions. But whoever's reading this can literally choose and I'll see what's the most popular and ride with it. **

**Sairra : p**


	11. Hollow

**Hollow**

Angel stared out at the dark night feeling frustrated. He couldn't see a thing outside and he felt oddly vulnerable and weak, something he hadn't felt in a long time. After he had left Buffy that day he had come to Stan's home to keep Stan's parents complacent. Buffy promised once she did a sweep of the graveyard she would come and meet him. He had wanted to go with her, but she wouldn't hear of it, and he realised like this, without his strength, he would just be a liability to her. It seemed like a cruel joke, he had wished for a long time that he could be a human, but now he was (relatively speaking) he found himself longing for some of his old abilities. He just wished there was some way to have both worlds. He sighed and turned back to look at Stan's room (which he had finally managed to find).

It was decorated with posters of scantily clad women; posters of violent games and of a heavy metal band Angel had never heard and didn't want to. There was a laptop on a desk, a game station and a widescreen TV in the corner. A sound system was on the wall with a stack of CDs. The large bed took up a lot of the room. The cupboard was filled with designer shoes and clothes which looked like they'd been barely worn. There was a fine film of dust on the desk as if it was never used, and a whole pile of text books Angel had put there, his homework.

Oddly enough though the room was packed with expensive things it seemed rather empty and hollow, there weren't many pictures of friends and few ornaments. It was as if the room was mainly for display and rarely lived in.

Angel thought about doing the homework, and decided to go for it. There was something rather novel about doing homework. He found the history relatively simple; after all he had lived it. The chemistry wasn't too bad, he had a lot of time to read things, and though science wasn't his foray he had a passing interest in it and was relatively knowledgeable of the basics. He found himself enjoying it as he wrote one answer after another with a certainty, and he wondered why Buffy was always complaining. When he came to the algebra he understood.

It felt like he was hitting his head against a brick wall repeatedly. His head began to ache and he began to be distracted by the simplest things such as his pen and the scantily clad bikini babe taped in front of the desk. After he stared at her bikini for a while, trying to figure out what exact shade it was, he decided to give up on algebra and have a snack.

He ran downstairs and grabbed a tub of ice cream, chocolate and Pepsi from the fridge. As he settled himself in Stan's room with the bounty it struck him just how oddly quiet the house was, for a family to be living there. He supposed Stan's parents were still out working and he had this whole house to himself. Angel didn't mind so much, he was used to being alone, but he supposed for a teenage boy it would be quiet lonely after the novelty wore off. No wonder Stan's room looked barely lived in. But would that be enough of an excuse to want to swap your body with someone else, he doubted it, it seemed like a weak excuse.

He began to tuck into the food, and allow the sensation of his tastebuds over rule any coherent thoughts or worries . He was just moving onto the ice cream after devouring the chocolate bar in two seconds when he felt an odd prickling sensation on the back of his neck, a sixth sense developed from years of life. He quickly rose and turned around, only to be met with himself.

Well it was his body, standing against the window, the blue eyes, looking odd in his face, dark and his demeanour not welcoming. Angel found he was wondering if his hair actually looked like that normally, but he was brought back to the situation at hand when Stan moved forward into the room a step.

"Stan," he said, trying to keep his voice even and cool. "Nice to drop by."

"Yeah I think so," Stan replied, his voice rather dead sounding.

"I know what you're here for Stan," Angel said, he was only taking a wild guess, but as long as he could keep the kid talking he felt he might be able to persuade him to listen to him.

"Really?" Stan paused for a second glaring at Angel. "What do you know?"

"I know that you bought into more then you bargained for huh? This magic thing, you didn't really expect it to work and now you're world is turned upside down and you're freaking out. I get that," he just hoped that Stan hadn't felt the effects of the demon yet and the power that came with it. It would be so much better if the kid was just freaking about the spell.

"You don't know anything," Stan snapped, "I couldn't be more happy with the spell, yeah I wasn't expecting it to work, but now...now everything's so different...everything's better..." He looked down at his hands, and clenched them into fists. Angel imagined he was feeling the power course through him, and could almost see his plan to calm the freaked Stan out drift away. This kid was obviously not freaking out, then what was he doing here for?

"So you don't miss any of it?" Angel asked carefully, probing him for information and watching his movements carefully, "Your family? Your friends? Your life?"

"I had no choice," Stan said it confidently, lifting his chin up, his eyes were hard. "And yeah I can live without all that now, because I've got something way better!"

"Yeah? And what's that?"

"I don't really know," Stan said, "But I know it's good, it's great, better then any drug I've ever taken, and freeing."

"Yeah it feels like that now," Angel said, his voice turning dark as he realized the kid had succumbed and let the demon's nature tempt him to give into his darker nature. "It feels great now, amazing. You'll do what you want, whatever. But soon you'll realise that you're beginning to lose control, and then you'll realize doing whatever you want isn't as great as you imagined. Because you'll have nothing but yourself. No parents to worry about you, no friends, no humanity. All you'll have is wants and needs that can never be satiated; you'll always be craving more and more without any satisfaction. Is that a life you can live? That's not a life Stan, that's just an echo. But you don't have to give in Stan, you can reverse it, you can be you again."

"Sorry you lost me at do whatever you want," Stan said.

"You think that voice in your head is really you? You think you're in control?" Angel snapped, angered now by the kids' stupidity. He had the ability to be a human, and he was throwing it away for nothing, for power. "You're an idiot if you even imagine for one second you're the one running the show here. That desire to drink, every time you come near a human, that's not you. And you can feel it rising to the surface, you don't turn back now and you're going to drown in it, and no one's going to be able to save you."

"Don't preach to me," Stan growled, angry now. "You're just jealous, you just want it back, to feel like this, the power. I'm not an idiot, and I'm not listening to you."

Angel didn't answer to this because in a way he was right, wasn't it only a moment ago that Angel had wished for his abilities back. But it wasn't for power, it was to help Buffy, to fight the darkness, but he knew Stan was beyond reasoning now. Angelus' was in there, in his head with him, sensing the change, feeling the different soul. There was no way Angel's voice could speak louder than his now, not when he was offering Stan the ability to feel like a God, to take and have and be a predator. Nothing could fight against that, it was intoxicating, Angel should know.

"But maybe you can do something for me..." Stan said, and Angel noted he was tensing now, preparing himself to pounce. He wasn't trained; he didn't have Angel's experience. But he did have strength that would probably tip the scales in his favour, that and the bloodlust. "You can put a name to it for me, if you don't mind. Before..."

"Before what?" Angel asked, stalling as he prepared himself.

"Before I kill you," and then he turned his face into the vampire visage. 'At least I don't look as bad as some of them' Angel found himself thinking briefly as Stan used his body and pounced.

**A/N: I know kind of pointless chapter, but I thought I might as well get one out there. Next there might be a show of Angelus and Angel might stay the night at Buffy's. Please review : )**


	12. Return

**Return**

Angel quickly ran, an instinct he had rarely taken without fighting first. But he was no fool, and he knew how powerful a vampire could be, so he did the smart thing. Stan growled in frustration as Angel dodged out of his way and quickly stumbled out to the corridor and towards the stairs, his heart hammering in his chest.

He almost tripped and fell as his legs didn't move as fast as his brain was telling them to. Stan was hot on his heels roaring in anger. He grabbed Angel's leg just as he was making his way down the stairs, and he fell down, the flight. Thankfully he didn't break anything once he hit the bottom and he pulled himself up with some difficulty, his body protesting. He skidded staggered across the carpet towards the door but instead of taking the stairs Stan had let the demons instincts take over, and jumped. He landed in front of Angel, not smoothly but still more dangerous than Angel was right then. Angel quickly changed his target and ran towards the kitchen and the back door.

Stan was now just a step behind him and he quickly grabbed a knife from the counter, and turned to face him, knowing that it was better to be attacked from the front then the back. Stan didn't hesitate; caught up in the demon's instincts he launched himself at Angel before Angel could lunge at him with his knife. Angel lost the grip on the knife and he instinctively reached for it, and it sliced his hand. Stan froze for a second, the demons yellow eyes turning to Angel's bleeding hand. Angel's heart sunk, knowing that his day's were numbered. After 200 years of life he would die by his own hand, the demons hand, like so many of his victims before him. He supposed it was poetic justice, but that didn't offer him much comfort as Stan grabbed him with his powerful grip and sunk his teeth into his neck.

"Get your stinking teeth away from my boyfriend," Stan was suddenly yanked away from Angel and he sunk to the ground feeling oddly weak . He looked up to see Buffy standing in front of him in a protective stance, facing Stan with a stake in her hand. Stan was lying on the ground outside, Buffy had thrown him through the back door. He looked up at her with the yellow demon eyes, as he carefully got up.

"Angel are you all right?" Buffy asked as she kept her eyes on Stan, her body tensed.

"Yeah," Angel managed to gasp, his neck stinging.

"Good," her voice was filled with relief. "Now I won't kill you Stan I'll just have to kick your butt."

Instead of looking nervous he got up and growled, primal rage contorting his face. He stepped forward towards the door then suddenly stopped in mid step he doubled over holding his stomach.

"Gee Stan, what is it did you eat something bad?" Buffy quipped, watching him carefully to ensure this wasn't a ruse.

Suddenly he straightened up and he gave Buffy a smug grin, showing the demon's brilliant fangs, and licked some of the remaining blood from the side of his mouth.

"What are you smiling about?" Buffy asked feeling uneasy. "That I'm going to kick your butt? Because if that is what you're smiling about that's seriously weird and I think you might need some help."

"Oh I don't think that's going to happen. But there'll be plenty of time to work up to the fun...Later Buff," and with that he quickly turned and ran. Buffy gave chase but he had already disappeared into the night. She quickly darted back inside to Angel's, more afraid for him then she was concerned with chasing Stan.

"Oh God," she said as she saw Angel had been bitten. He held his hand against his neck, keeping the pressure there. He didn't think he had lost too much blood but it stung and he felt a little light headed. "Oh my God we have to call for an ambulance," she said, fluttering around Angel and feeling completely useless.

"No," he quickly said, "I'm all right, just need to keep pressure on it. You stopped him before he could do any serious damage. "

"Fine, but you'll definitely need to bandage it, here let me have a look."

"Ah," Angel hissed as Buffy moved to take his hand away from the wound and assess the damage.

"Sorry," Buffy winced. "I guess you were right about one thing."

"And what was that?" Angel asked.

"You always get hurt around me," she looked down despondently, her brow furrowing as she thought about it.

"That's not true Buffy you saved me," Angel said putting his other hand out and brushing her hair from her face. "Now we should probably get out of here before Stan thinks better of it and comes back for seconds."

"We can go to my house," Buffy said perking up a bit. "How did he get in here anyway?" Buffy asked as she helped Angel up and they made their way slowly to the front door.

"What do you mean?" Angel asked his head still feeling light.

"I mean you've never been invited in to Stan's house have you? Therefore he shouldn't have been able to get in right?"

"His parents," Angel said suddenly, thinking of Stan's loving if a bit absent minded parents. "He must have tricked them, you have to look for them Buffy."

"But..." Buffy began to press.

"I'm fine," Angel said, leaning against the wall, "I'll just rest here for a moment. This is more important."

Buffy sighed but carefully let him rest against the wall and ran through the house. She came back from the lounge room, looking grim

"It looks like he knocked out his parents, but they seem all right, their pulses are strong. I'll call the ambulance just in case, but we should probably get out of here before they come. I don't have the best track record with the police, or any authority for that matter."

"Wait," Angel said quickly grabbing a pad and pen from a nearby table he scribbled a note.

"You're staying at a friend's house for a few days?" Buffy raised her eyebrows. "I don't know about Stan's parents, but I know my mum would rip my head off if I left a note like that without asking her first."

"It's all I've got," Angel said, wincing as he put the pad down and his neck gave a sharp twinge. "I just don't want them to worry, or set out a search party for me. "

"True," Buffy said, helping him to the door. "Wouldn't want that. And speaking of parents do you think there's any way you could sneak up through the window again? I mean my Mum's pretty tolerant with the whole slayer thing now, but I don't think that really extends to keeping boys in my room and you don't want to stay in the guest room, believe me."

"Why?" Angel asked, curious.

"Well I was trying on my mum's perfume and I kind of spilt it all on the rug. Lets just say too much of a good thing is a bad thing. She hasn't been in there recently and I kind of don't want her to, not if she wants to be able to smell again, and not if I don't want to be grounded forever."

"I suppose I could try the window, I'm feeling much better" Angel said then almost tripped over his own feet as a wave of dizziness swept over him.

"Right," Buffy sighed, "I guess it's' wish Mum stays late at the gallery night' again. Whoever said a slayers life was easy. Oh, that's right, no one."

* * *

He walked through the streets feeling strong and alive and free. Finally, after thinking he would never get out again, he was here, he was back.

In the end it had been a simple matter, just of blood. Blood had made him strong enough to overcome that weak soul which had taken his good 'friends' place. It had been a simple matter to tempt and toy with it, whisper in it's mind, entice it with power. But playing with that fool was nothing to this. Now the idiot was shoved away and he was in control.

It was a good day to be undead and it was a very bad day to be the soul of a soulless vampire. Because now he knew how to make this permanent, he had seen it in the boy's mind, and he thought it was about time he took care of his companion over all these years. He knew where the slayer would have taken him, she was so predictable. It was time to pay Buff a personal visit and rid himself of his morality forever.

* * *

**A/n Please review. Thanks for the recent reviews **


	13. Making Out

**Making Out**

Luckily Joyce had left a note for Buffy telling her she was working late at the art gallery that night, so Buffy managed to get Angel up to her room and start patching him up.

"Don't you ever do that to me again," Buffy scolded as she put the dettol around the wound and Angel winced.

"Well I didn't actually plan to be bitten," Angel pointed out.

"I just, when I saw you, you were so pale and I thought, I just remembered how we fought and..." Buffy let the thought hang in the air as she placed the bandage carefully on his neck.

"Hey," Angel said taking her hand and meeting her eyes. "I'm sorry about that, I was harsh but you're still young Buffy and I had no right to judge you like that."

"No Angel," Buffy shook her head, taking her hand from his and using them to make gestures, which she did when she was nervous. "You were right, about me not sticking up for people because I thought they were losers. I know I was wrong Angel, it's just I suppose I was just so worried about fitting in I forgot about what's right. I'm sorry, but I'll try and work on it... I just can't believe what an idiot I've been."

"Don't beat yourself up Buffy," Angel said, rather quiet as he noticed she hadn't said anything about her wanting a normal boyfriend, he dropped his gaze, now his turn to fiddle with the coverlet nervously as he talked. "You're still young and fitting in sometimes take precedents over other things. I get that, especially after today. It's natural to want normalcy, I understand, that you want a normal boyfriend..."

"No," Buffy quickly protested, taking his hand again and catching his eye. "Angel the only person I want is you. The only thing I see when I look into your eyes is you, even in this body. I don't see a normal boy I see you Angel and only you, you're all I want and all I'll ever want."

"Oh," was all Angel managed to say at her intensity, she had moved closer to him as she had talked and suddenly he felt extremely aware of the close proximity of her lips. "That's good then, considering."

"Considering what?" Buffy asked, barely paying attention to his question as she also felt the electricity in the air.

"Considering all I see is you too."

Then suddenly his hand was brushing her hair from her face and he lent closer and they were kissing. Buffy pulled Angel onto the bed and suddenly it began to grow in intensity. Angel hesitated for a moment then he realized that now he didn't have to be careful, now the only person in his body was him, no demon, no curse, just him and Buffy and this perfect moment.

"Buffy!"

Buffy and Angel jumped apart as if they had been electrocuted and with shocked faces turned to the stun woman standing in the doorway.

"Mum!"


	14. Explanations

**Explanations**

"What are you doing?" Joyce demanded her eyes flashing as she looked at Buffy and then Angel.

"Mum I can explain," Buffy quickly said, going into full panic mode.

"I should hope so," Joyce snapped, "I come home to find you making out with a boy, in your room, on your bed Buffy!"

"It's not what it looks like," Buffy said desperately, quickly standing up in an attempt to eradicate the incriminating evidence.

"Well what is it then Buffy, because I sure as hell hope it isn't what I imagine!" Joyce exclaimed.

"Look Ms Summers," Angel said, quickly standing up. "We were just..."

"I can imagine what you were just up to," Joyce turned on Angel, making him want to take a step back. A mother's rage was formidable. "And I don't want to hear from you. You should be ashamed of yourself. I'm going to be calling your parents!"

"Mum," Buffy cried in outrage, turning red. "You cannot be serious!"

"I am very serious Buffy," Joyce said, no room for argument in her tone. "You can't expect me to let you off lightly. I mean a boy in your room Buffy, I didn't even know you were dating, and to betray my trust like this!"

"Nothing..."

"Buffy don't lie to me on top of it. If I hadn't walked in..." Joyce trailed off running her hand through her hair, and quickly turning to Angel. "Now your name, and don't you dare think of lying to me!"

Angel rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and his eyes turned to Buffy, but she was just glaring at her mum with anger and indignation so there was no help there.

"Uh... Angel..." he watched Joyce's reaction carefully.

"Well Angel I hope your pare.... Angel?" Joyce took a double take as she realised the name he had given and compared that to the young teenager she was staring at.

"Yep," Buffy said quickly in response to her mother's look. "He's Angel. Well he doesn't look like him but it is him. You see we were patrolling like two nights ago and.."

"Wait you went patrolling with Angel? And why wasn't I made aware of this?"

"Mum we were patrolling!" Buffy exclaimed, "It's not like we went on a date and anyway that is so not the point right now!"

'What is the point then?" Joyce asked in exasperation.

"Well he swapped bodies with a guy from my class. And now that guy is trying to kill him and I have to protect him."

"Well I just...I don't know what to say Buffy..." Joyce said weakly, looking from her to Angel. "Swapped bodies? And how does protecting him involve you doing... stuff on your bed?"

"Mum nothing was going to happen..."

"Ms Summers please," Angel attempted to interject here.

"Please," Joyce snapped on top of them both. "I would just like to talk to my daughter right now Angel. "

"I understand," Angel said quietly, feeling extremely awkward. "I'll just go downstairs then..."

"Mum no," Buffy began to argue.

"Buffy I am your mother and I say we are going to talk about this privately."

"It's all right Buffy," Angel said making his way towards the door.

"Angel, no wait," Buffy protested but he already was out the door and down the stairs.

When he got there he stood in the front room, unsure with what to do with him self. He didn't need his vampire hearing to hear the argument between Buffy and her Mum and every point Joyce was bringing up made him cringe and feel extremely guilty.

"Mum this is so unfair," Buffy was wailing.

"No, Buffy this is life," her Mum snapped. "I just can't believe after all that's happened with Angel that you would be so irresponsible."

"We weren't being irresponsible, we were in control."

"You call that in control Buffy? Heaven forbid I should ever see you when you're out of control."

"You don't understand," Buffy cried out in frustration.

"No, I do Buffy, more then you can possibly know. Your just a young girl in love and blinded, with the wrong type of man."

"You don't know anything about him!"

"I know he was irresponsible enough to be making out in your bedroom, on your bed. The curse aside Buffy you're just a girl and he's a boy and it is not very gentlemanly thing to do..."

"Us, being ungentle manly, well that's a first isn't it Liam?"

Angel whipped around to be met with himself, well his body anyway, standing there in the living room, leaning against the doorway. A smirk on his face was contorted into the vampiric features.

"What did you call me?" Angel asked, uncomprehending. In the back of his mind he was assessing the chance he had to get past the strong vampire. He had skill on his side, but Stan's strength would work for him, and Angel knew first hand that he probably didn't have a chance.

"I'm hurt you don't recognize me," he said, holding his hand to his heart. "That's what I would say if I cared, I imagine anyway."

Angel frowned, "I don't understand? What do you mean recognize you?"

"Liam, Liam, Liam," he shook his head and took a step closer. "All these years together, and wow have they been long, and you're still as dull as the country bumpkin Darla dragged from the gutters."

And then suddenly he stopped strategizing and it clicked in his head, as Angelus changed his features back to the human visage, and his own brown eyes looked back at him.

"Angelus?""

"Wow we have a winner," he clapped lightly. "I mean it took you long enough, but I'm glad you had a chance to get it. Just before I snap your neck and send you flying away to wherever you annoyingly virtuous go, and I stay here to have a bit of fun with your slayer again. I've really been looking forward to giving her some payback for the wonderful trip to hell, which wouldn't have been so bad if you hadn't showed up..."

Angel didn't say anything, still stunned as he stared at the demon aspect of himself, everything he hated about himself embodied. It couldn't be possible; it didn't make any sense to him.

"What nothing to say?"Angelus asked, "No attempt to reminisce with me? No idle threats? What's with you today Angel, you don't seem to be on top of your game. Is it the disappointment that I'm not taking the time on you like we have with so many others? Well sorry bub, I'd love to repay you for all those years, but I've got bigger fish to fry. So let's make it quick shall we?"

And then the handsome face transformed into the smirking demon and he pounced.

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think : ) More high school in a later chapter**


	15. Double Take

**Double Take**

Angel managed to dive out of the way, but Angelus was as fast and managed to stop his momentum before he hit the wall. He quickly turned on the balls of his feet just as Angel quickly dove over the couch.

"Oh look who thinks he has a fighting chance," Angelus laughed in anticipation as he jumped after Angel, and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck he threw him over the couch and into the coffee table.

Angel groaned, as he saw stars. He quickly scrabbled around with his hand and met with a sharp piece of glass, he curled his fingers around it and tried to get up.

"Uh-uh not so fast," Angelus crowed, placing his foot on Angel and pushing him back down. "I want to savour this moment for a minute, before I break your neck that is. I mean isn't it just sweet Angel? The irony of it all, you as a fellow artist can obviously appreciate that much. You've always wanted to get rid of me, and yet look at you now..." Angelus grabbed Angel and lifted him up effortlessly with one hand. "A weak human, nothing more than an annoying blip in the radar. Kind of funny if you think about it, how insignificant you are without me, how inferior... I'm sorry I didn't quite catch that?"

Angel took in a large gasp of air as Angelus lessened his grip on his neck ever so slightly, and repeated what he had tried to say.

"God, you never shut up, even when you're not in my head, do you?"

Angelus merely grinned. "Well if you really want the show to be over that quickly, what else can I do but comply. I was always the crowd pleaser after all."

He brought his other arm around to grab Angel's neck but he was already in action, he quickly slashed at Angelus' face with the glass and swung his legs, kicking out at Angelus'. Angelus' growled as it slashed his cheek but unfortunately did not let go Angel.

"You know I'm actually starting to contemplate giving you a bit of a longer death, I mean after all those Manilow concerts..."

"Let him go Stan," Buffy's voice came from the stairs, her mum right behind her looking on with wide eyes and a crossbow in hand.

"Buffy," Angel shouted desperately, "Get out of here, it's not Stan it's..." Angelus growled tightened his grip on Angel, cutting of his sentence and very nearly his whole air supply.

"Right that's it I'm going to kick your butt," Buffy growled.

"Uh-uh," Angelus said, taking a step back and holding Angel up higher as Buffy took a step forward. "Not so fast Buff. I mean really who has the upper hand here do you think?"

"I said let him go," Buffy snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"I knew you were always bad at math so let me put this in a plainer way. I've got you're little boy toy here and I don't really think I feel like giving him back, not unless you have something to offer me in return that is..."

"What do you want?" Buffy asked, watching him carefully with narrowed eyes and a frown. Angel could tell she realised something was wrong with Stan she just hadn't worked it out yet.

"Oh I can think of a few things, but before you give them to me I just need to do one thing..." Angelus grabbed Angel and pulled him closer, he took one long hard look and Buffy then lent his head down to drink.

"Mum," Buffy yelled and before Angelus could pierce Angel's skin a crossbow bolt whizzed past his head. Taking advantage of his momentary distraction Angel managed to twist out of his grasp and hit him, not that it had much effect.

"Get out of the way Angel," Buffy commanded, he didn't need to be told twice, he quickly dodged Angelus' grasp and dove behind the couch just as a crossbow bolt whizzed towards Angelus. He heard the growl and turned back to look. Angelus' had managed to grab the first crossbow bolt which was aimed at his chest, but the second one had hit him in the abdomen. Buffy had already loaded up a third bolt and was looking at him with hard eyes.

"Gee that's gonna sting in the morning," she commented.

Angelus watched Buffy, then his eyes flickered to Angel and he smirked, suddenly his face transformed and she looked at Buffy with Angel's brown eyes. She didn't move a muscle but Angel saw behind her controlled facade that there was turmoil inside. Angelus laughed lightly, exulting in her confusion.

"Fine Buff," he said, putting up his hands and moving back slowly. "I guess we're at a stalemate here, for now. We'll continue this little chat later Liam, reminisce about the good old times." He turned quickly and ran; Buffy shot the last cross bolt half heartedly after him and he dodged it. Then the back door slammed behind him.

"Buffy what's going on?" Joyce asked in a faint voice.

"It's Angelus," Angel said to Buffy as he got up from the floor.

"I know," Buffy said, her voice shaking slightly. "I saw, but how?"

"I don't know," Angel said, shaking his head. "But I know I can't stay here."

"What do you mean?"Buffy demanded.

Angel moved towards the door, barely hearing Buffy, only knowing he needed to protect her.

"Angel," Buffy quickly darted down the last few steps and grabbed his arm, pulling him up short. "Don't you dare go out there, you could get hurt, didn't you hear him, he wants to kill you!"

"That's why I have to leave," Angel insisted, "Right now he wants to kill Buffy, more than anything else, even more than getting back at you. That's why I have to get out of here, away from you."

"Because once you're dead and he's permanently free he'll just go skipping away and leave me alone? Are you listening to yourself? "

"Buffy just let me go," Angel almost shouted at her in frustration. "I can at least buy you some time; you have to let me do this."

"No," Buffy almost shouted at him. "I will not lose you again!"

"You can't protect me, yourself and your mum against him Buffy," Angel pointed out. "Not now, not now that his only goal is to kill me. He's not going to waste his time taunting you Buffy, he's going to be quick."

Buffy turned silent at this, her eyes going to her mother who had moved towards the broken coffee table, and looked down at it rather forlornly.

Suddenly her chin went up and determination filled her eyes. "Fine, then you won't stay here," she said.

"I'll just go pick up my car and get out of town, I think I can reach L.A before..."

"No," Buffy said, "You're not going anywhere!"

"I thought we just agreed..."

"No, we agreed you're not staying here where he can get you. You're going somewhere where he can't."

"Where? I've been invited into everyone's house that you know."

"Not everyone's," Buffy said, a small smile playing on her lips, Angel didn't know whether to be reassured by the smile or not, but he was starting to get a sinking feeling that it wasn't necessarily a good sign for him.

**A/N: Yeah sorry the same old scene again, but who doesn't like action? Anyway Angel gets to spend more time with his least favourite person, and Giles and Buffy catch up. Thanks for the reviews. I will be updating my other story Flashback if you're reading it, but only after I finish this one. I have a feeling it'll be winding down soon, after I play with the characters a bit more. I love Angelus, most funniest, best villian on Buffy, and he's cute while doing it, that's my opinion anyway. Please review : )**


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